Universal Healthcare: The Pros and Cons

Universal Healthcare: The Pros and Cons On March 23, 2010 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed by President Obama, raising the question for many of whether this new law was going to be more helpful or hurtful. With universal healthcare, healthcare coverage would be increased tremendously, costs would be reduced, Jobs would be created, and consumers would be protected. Conversely, it will also raise taxes and wait times, lead to a smaller number of doctors, and infringe on some employers' 1st amendment rights.Presenting both arguments for and against the Patient Protection nd Affordable Care Act allows one to draw a conclusion on whether the new program will benefit or hinder the citizens of the United States. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, will extend coverage to virtually every US citizen. It is estimated that approximately 45 million Americans are uninsured, and 45,000 of those citizens are dying each year simply because they do not h ave health care (Ireland). Once this new act takes effect, 32 of those 45 million citizens will receive coverage.Citizens whose ages range from 19 to 25 will be able to stay on their parent's insurance plans when normally they would have been forced ff the plan. Young adults who are not on their parent's insurance plans and who normally wouldn't be able to afford coverage will now be able to pay for their own health insurance. Currently, patients with pre-existing conditions can be denied coverage. However, with the PPACA, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage or stop coverage when a member becomes ill.Women will also be granted additional coverage, such as receive access to women's health services, and these new benefits are also required to have no out of pocket fees. Also, the availability of contraception, such as abortion, will be expanded (â€Å"The Patient Protection†). The cost of health care will be greatly reduced by the PPACA, and this will ha ve a chain reaction on big businesses and employees. With almost 95 percent of citizens paying for health insurance, costs for health care will decrease (Poe).Once the cost for health care declines, it will cost less for big businesses to hire employees. It is estimated that 4 million Jobs will be created over the next 10 years. The PPACA also affects the economy in another way; it will reduce the national deficit. Contrary to popular belief, the passing of this law will reduce the national debt by 210 billion ollars within the next decade. If it were repealed, the national debt would be raised by $230 billion (Poe). The PPACA also offers various other benefits to citizens.Catherine Poe states that once the law is passed, there will be † no more Freddie the Freeloaders allowed†; if a citizen can afford health insurance and does not purchase it, he or she will pay a fee of one percent of his or her household income. This fee will increase to 2. 5 percent by 2017. This wil l prevent citizens from not paying for health insurance and Just continuing to live off of the tax dollars of other citizens who do pay for their health nsurance. Also, the PPACA will protect consumers from the overcharging by health insurance providers.It will torce the providers to spend 80 percent ot their income on rebates or expenses, such as health and marketing expenses (â€Å"Obamacare†). While the PPACA will benefit citizens greatly, it also has its negative side effects. As previously discussed, the PPACA will lower healthcare costs and the national debt, but it will also hurt the economy as well. The cost of drugs is expected to rise due to pharmaceutical companies paying an additional 84. 8 billion dollars over the next decade (â€Å"The Patient Protection†).Taxes will also be raised in order to cover the additional costs brought on by the new program. The additional taxes will be charged to individuals making over $200,000 and couples making over $250,000. Additionally, families will only be able to deduct medical costs that surpass 10 percent of their annual income, compared to the 7. 5 percent that is currently allowed. It was stated earlier in this paper that big businesses would benefit from this law; however, the exact opposite is true for small businesses.Businesses will be forced to provide healthcare for their employees or pay a fine, something they may not be able to fford. This may result in employees' hours being cut or even the termination of the employee (â€Å"Obamacare†). The PPACA will also have a direct negative impact on the medical field as a whole. By 2025 there is expected to be a shortage of nearly 52,000 physicians. This, coupled with the number of office visits increasing over 100 million times, will put incredible strain on the healthcare system (â€Å"The Patient Protection†).This will cause wait times for medical treatment to be greatly increased. Patients will be more likely to go to the emer gency room for minor treatments, such as coughs due to colds, thus causing atients with real emergencies to wait even longer. Also, there will be no competition for patients. This competition is what encourages health care workers to excel in their specialties and to become better. This may even cause fewer people to choose to pursue a career in the medical profession (Ireland).One of the more controversial arguments against universal healthcare is the effect it will have on known religious-based businesses. As stated earlier, with the PPACA businesses will be required to provide health insurance for their employees that would include contraceptive services for women. The result is that religious based businesses, such as Hobby Lobby, which is owned by evangelical Christians, will be forced to essentially pay for their employees to receive contraceptives, something that goes against their religion.If a business decides to follow its religious beliefs and not provide the health insur ance it will be issued a fine, thus hurting the business for practicing their religion. This has led the government to define what religion is and what qualifies a business as a religious employer. This aspect of the PPACA goes against the 1st amendment protection of the freedom of religion, herefore making it unconstitutional (â€Å"A Case†). Weighing both sides of the universal healthcare argument, it can be concluded that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is truly more hurtful than it is helpful.It will cost citizens greatly, through increased tax dollars and being forced to pay for their healthcare. Small businesses contribute immensely to the countrys economy, and they will be hurt significantly by this program. Also, the effects it will have on the healthcare system are immeasurable. There is already a considerable shortage of doctors, and this will only increase remarkably once the PPACA takes tect Lack ot competition within the medical protession is somet hing that cannot be overlooked either.

Law Enforcement Today Essay

Many police departments are facing budget problems, forcing them to cut their police force down. Many officers are being asked to do things they normally don’t do such as patrolling. Police departments are also facing increasing crimes due to the poor economy. More people are engaging in criminal activities. Local and small agencies interact with the communities that they patrol on a daily basis. Sharing information between agencies are important not only for Home Land Security but for the public’s safety as well. Law enforcement agencies are using The Home Land Security Information Network which allows them to securely collaborate with partners across the country. Law enforcement professionals also use HSIN to share information including Be on the Lookouts (BOLOs), Requests for Information (RFIs), For Your Information (FYIs), Intelligence Reports, and other Law Enforcement Sensitive documents. HSIN allows users to create and distribute messages to large, mission-specific contact lists. This rapid, secure information exchange provides law enforcement professionals with critical intelligence as they conduct work in the field (â€Å"Homeland Security Information Network – Law Enforcement Mission†, n. d. ). The purpose of this State and Local Fusion Center Concept of Operations (CONOPS) is to establish a framework for a comprehensive, coordinated and consistent approach for outreach by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to State and Local Fusion Centers (SLFCs). This CONOPS outlines DHS processes relating to SLFC support including intelligence and operational information flows and interactions, deployment of officers, component integration, and identification of SLFC requirements, technical assistance and training. DHS will also ensure outreach, communication, and integration with other multidisciplinary partners (i. e. , fire service, public health, and emergency management), to further ensure and facilitate information sharing between SLFCs and these disciplines. This CONOPS will be periodically reviewed and modified as additional processes are implemented and refinements identified The CONOPS provides transparency into DHS support to SLFCs. The CONOPS also: – Furthers the goals of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Program Manager Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) to develop and support a national information sharing environment and network of fusion centers. Underscores the role of the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis as the Executive Agent for DHS SLFC Program and DHS’s representative to various Federal Senior-level advisory groups providing guidance and support to fusion centers. – Defines the roles and responsibilities of the State and Local Program Management Office (SLPO) to execute the DHS SLFC Implementation Plan and to lead DHS outreach to SLFCs which includes, but is not limited to, the assignment of DHS intelligence analysts and officers and the provision of tools to the fusion centers nationwide. The SLPO serves in the central coordination role for DHS interaction with SLFCs. – Institutionalizes the Single Point of Service (SPS), a coordinated Office of Intelligence and Analysis/Office of Operations Coordination and Planning business process, developed to ensure all SLFC inquires are responded to expeditiously by the appropriate elements within DHS and there is accountability for this transactional activity. An assumption circulating within information sharing discourse is that the effectiveness of information sharing can be measured in terms of information flow, distribution, timeliness, coordination, and related system performance measures. 44 The Information Sharing Environment’s (ISE) stated mission is to ensure the ability of agencies to share information – but just who is responsible for ensuring that such abilities to share information tangibly improve preparedness remains unclear. This study indicates that using system performance measures and capabilities to assess the effectiveness of information sharing is inadequate and potentially wasteful and misleading. In developing metrics to assess the benefits of information sharing, officials must engage in the difficult task of relating system use to tangible improvements in preparedness. Information-sharing initiatives also unfold within varying budgetary constraints and divergent funding priorities. As a result, future research needs to address how financial and structural conditions influence information-sharing processes and practices. This study also suggests the need for comparative and longitudinal research of information sharing. However, future studies that attempt to construct concrete variables for hypothesis testing may similarly confront the contingency of the meanings of information sharing and preparedness. Although information sharing and preparedness are socially-defined concepts, their meanings can be mapped within different organizational contexts and across time using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Doing so can potentially assist policy makers and practitioners assess the utility of information-sharing strategies and the impact of associated organizational change efforts.

Performance Management System

Contents 1. Performance management on the benefits of a company or organization. 2. Examples and behavior of Performance management. 3. Performance Management Systems 4. Human Capital and Strategic Planning 5. Recommendations Performance management on the benefits of a company or organization. Successful organizations know that to win in today’s competitive marketplace they must attract, develop, and retain a talented and productive staff.Winning organizations get their competitive edge from a performance management system that communicates the organization’s vision and values, aligns individual and team performance goals with the organization’s strategic objectives, outlines career development paths for each team member, and provides ongoing feedback for staff development. We will guide you through the development of your Competency Based Performance Management System, customizing the program to reflect the unique needs of your organization.A Senior Consultant w ill work with your leadership team to develop a model that will maximize employee input, buy-in and utilization of the new review process. Performance management system training is a process that uses your employees to their full potential, developing the talents of the existing workforce as a cost-effective way to increase the bottom line. These systematic training programs ensure the goals of your company are consistently met by each individual employee.Performance management helps evaluate each employee to see if he is in the right position, and a continued training program develops his skills to their highest level. Having a common goal among employees and management is what makes a company successful. Performance management system training teaches and develops these common goals. When you train your employees effectively, they know what is expected of them and need less monitoring. Employee morale is boosted when each employee feels she is adequately qualified for her job posit ion.Positive morale has proven to increase productivity, which ultimately means higher profits for the business. Performance management includes employee appraisals as a necessary first step. Discerning how your employees currently perform helps you determine how you would like them to perform. You can then set the goals necessary to bridge that gap. You will create a checklist of what you want to assess in each employee, establish a deadline for completing the appraisals and determine how you will go about the evaluation.Performance management is all about motivating employees to do better, so these appraisals are an opportunity for supervisor and staff to mutually agree on goals that will help them succeed. Examples and behavior of Performance management. A management system is the framework of processes and procedures used to ensure that an organization can fulfill all tasks required to achieve its objectives. For instance, an environmental management system enables organizations to improve their environmental performance through a process of continuous improvement.An oversimplification is â€Å"Plan, Do, Check, Act†. A more complete system would include accountability (an assignment of personal responsibility) and a schedule for activities to be completed, as well as auditing tools to implement corrective actions in addition to scheduled activities, creating an upward spiral of continuous improvement. Also as in the aforementioned management system, an occupational health and safety management system enables an organization to control its occupational health and safety risks and to improve its performance by means of continuous improvement.A management system is a proven framework for managing and continually improving your organization's policies, procedures and processes. The best businesses work as complete units with a shared vision. This may encompass information sharing, benchmarking, team working and working to the highest quality and environ mental principles. A management system helps your organization to achieve these goals through a number of strategies, including process optimization, management focus and disciplined management thinking. Performance Management SystemsPerformance management is a discipline that aims at promoting organizational performance by managing the human capital of an organization. The know-how, skills and capabilities that inherent and used by workers in an organization are referred to as human capital. Human capital is an integral asset of any business, company or organization and many of them have concentrated their investments of human capital. Why are organizations interested in the development management and promotion of human capital? Is human capital becoming more and more relevant to organizations?Studies have indicated that there is a huge overt and covert influence of human capital on the performance of any organization and business and there has been intensive research on human capi tal as a factor in business and organizational performance. This is why organizations are increasingly empowering their human resource departments which deal with the human capital. It has been proved by various studies that any practice that promotes or enhances human capital influences organizational performance directly by molding organizational behavior and attitudes.Human capital also creates structural and operational focal points that improve efficiency. According to most business executives, people are the most integral assets in any organization because they are the ones that make the rest of the assets to function. They have proved that investment in people often lead to improved revenue and profit margins. However the problem that arises from this assertion is that human capital as an asset is not tangible. This means that is cannot be in any way captured in financial results and statement.This puts a challenge on the business executives to empirically prove that investme nts in the human capital adds positive value to an organization that results to the growth of the organization and additional, value to the shareholders. There are some indicators that can measure the effectiveness of human capital in a business. They include the image of the organization, popularity with headhunters, experience, satisfaction and loyalty but these signals are not efficient because they do not put a real estimate on the added value to the company.In simple terms, the influence of human capital on the growth of a business is something that cannot be easily documented quantitatively. This is what challenges business executives in their attempt to claim that people are the most important asset in any business. This complicates their quest for the organizations to allow more funding to enhance and promote the human capital they claim is the most integral asset. The human resource management departments in organizations in Australia have realized that human capital needs additional support for the organizations to grow in terms of market share, competitive advantage and revenue base.The emphasis on human capital by businesses and organizations in Australia is based not only on conventional ideals of human capital but also on the contemporary knowledge and information based world of organizations. in a society which is becoming revolutionized by technology, the concept of human capital cannot remain static. For businesses to remain competitive and productive in this digital age, the workforce must therefore be equipped with the relevant skills to keep them at par with the dynamics of technology.This will ensure that things to do with on job training must be emphasized. Additional financial capital needs to be channeled towards the human resource departments to facilitate the training of the workforce. Human Capital and Strategic Planning Strategic decision making must precede the HR functions of the organizations because it is the strategic decisions made that will determine how the strategic functions will be carried out. An organization must therefore identify its missions and visions which must be articulated to all the shareholders.Clear visions and missions are very fundamental for the development of HR strategies because they have to be relevant with the literacy levels and the competencies of the employees who will have to face the challenge of delivering it. One of the problems faced by organizations is the development of unrealistic strategic plans that completely destabilize the HR functions. This is because at times there is absence of leadership competence that does not understand that there is an umbilical cord that connects the strategies with their relevance to the people who will be supposed to execute it.This is why the HR department must also be part of the strategic decision making process and the best way of helping in the making of the strategic decisions is by using its competencies model where the compete ncies of the already existing employees are factored in such that while most of the visions and missions being planned will be planned around the competencies and the creativity levels of the existing employees.This will minimize the need to make a complete overhaul or a reengineering that would be occasioned by strategic decisions that do not factor in the competencies of the employees. Where the strategic decisions go beyond the competencies of the existing HR, external recruitment would be the most appropriate HR function otherwise, internal promotions based on competencies and performance would be the most viable option as long as the competencies and the performance of the existing HR is factored in during the strategic decision making process (Bradford, 2000).The strategic plans can be easily realized using a HR team that is already acquainted with the practices of the organization meaning that the internal promotions would be the most viable HR practice especially when recrui ting for middle level and top management positions. The use of the correct HR practices will enable an organization to adopt a holistic approach that will enable it to capitalize on the competitive market trends avoiding internal divisions and personal agendas that end up blocking the path to the realization of the strategic plans.Recommendations There are a few recommendations that will made that will help in the improvement of performance management systems 1. Firms should invest more in human capital because it is the single most important economic resource of any organization 2. The human capital should be availed with the necessary resources for them to be able to give firms a competitive advantage 3.Human capital should be included in the strategic decisions of a firm because they are the ones who will work on the strategies 4. A collective culture in should be enhanced in firms in order to give the human capital the correct working environment 5. There should be management an d leadership styles that support and motivate the human capital to enhance its performance

Technology and the Future of the Hotel Industry Research Paper

Technology and the Future of the Hotel Industry - Research Paper Example In the last decade, Information Technology did change the lodging industrys plans, controls, and manages operations. The growing demands in the hotel industry are very many the demands are largely brought about by globalization, increased security threats and needed for controls in business (Solomon, 2008). The hotel industry is starting to use kiosks and self-service technologies to change the hotel industry (Solomon, 2008). Through globalization, technology has had great impacts on the hospitality industry several ways: organizational culture, management styles and organizational structure. These three ways shape up how an organization is set up from its decision-making offices to the operations department (Solomon, 2008). This paper, therefore, seeks to draw important regions upon which technology influences the hotel industry. Proper insight will focus mainly on operations, and customer experiences and relations in the hotel environment. It is a report and not a research paper as it may seem to appear. Hotel industry is affected by various issues regarding security from a global to a local perspective respectively. The ability to assure a tourist that, they are safe in a given destination can mean a lot to the proprietors of a given hotel business line (Solomon, 2008). Security threats have made the industry suffer several setbacks that can only translate into losses worth billions of dollars (Kasavana and Cahill, 2003). Travel bans are offered to countries with such security issues, and they incur up to millions of dollars in losses, which can only mean that even the internal operations of such a countrys hotel is affected. Back at home, when the hotel is prone to high instances of theft, and robbery consumers of their products feel more paranoid to visit such establishment (Kasavana and Cahill, 2003). It can only mean that such organizations are closed, and jobs

The importance of professionalism within the construction industry Essay

The importance of professionalism within the construction industry - Essay Example For the construction industry, professionalism is important as it avails self-identity. The self-identity stems from the professional firms that personnel within the industry have created. For example in the engineering and architecture industry that have professional bodies, which act as reglators of the graduates who wish to be recognised as qualified, trusted, and capable professionals. The self-identity is also created through professionalism by the belief that exists among the public domain and the community at large that members of these bodies work to serve them (Murray & Dainty, 2013). Professionalism in the construction industry has also aided in ensuring that the experts in this industry are not money-minded, but work to ensure that their customers get the best and serve the needs that the society wants to be addressed and solved. Hence, an aspect of discipline is instilled in the industry through professionalism. Without discipline, any profession is bound to fail in the l ong run. Hence, the durability of the construction industry is fortified by professionalism (Murray & Dainty, 2013). Through professionalism, the corporate social responsibility of the construction industry is enhanced. The enhancement of the corporate social responsibility serves to boost the function-ability and delivery of the industry. Delivery is of great importance to any industry, without it, the industry cannot function. It is through this responsibility that targets are set and met, which ensures that the professional conduct.

Economic Growth in Israel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Economic Growth in Israel - Essay Example From this essay it is clear that  the OECD aims at providing support to the member countries to restore confidence in their market and institutions and foster new sources of growth through technology and innovation which would provide a basis for sustainable future economic growth. The data analysis provided by OECD regarding the major economic indicators of the member country Israel will provide a clear picture to its institutions and organisations about the current scenario of the economy and help them to propose appropriate solutions through the application of economic theories and practices. OECD works with the prime motive of providing information on a wider range of topics to provide assistance to the government and other institutions of a member country to formulate appropriate polices that can help them to foster growth and stability in the economy. This report analyzes the major indicators of economic performance of Israel. The data of major economic indicators of Israel a re collected from OECD and can be used to analyze how the growth and performance of the country can be improved based on its reports. There are variety of economic indicators like agriculture, energy, finance, governmental interference, employment, technology and research, health and environment on the basis of which OECD analyzes the performance and growth of Israel. It provides a relative framework for understanding the role of government and local organisations in their contribution towards long term growth and efficiency of the economy.

Walmart Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Walmart - Research Paper Example Walmart stands distinguished among the crowd of aspiring organizations because the managers vigorously and regularly collaborate with employees to improve the policies and gain more customers. This proves that organizational designs which integrate such effective tools improve service behaviors of the employees and make them invest extra time, hard work, and brainwork in the functions they perform. Such motivated style service delivery inflicts a very different and fresh influence on the customers also. Apart from organizational design, the organizational culture of Walmart fully acknowledges the importance of both positive organizational behavior and diversity as a way of winning loyalty of more customers from diverse background. All such aspects of Walmart’s management will be analyzed in this research paper and will also be compared with the service practices of other large retail stores to find out how Walmart corporation manages to stand out of the crowd. Introduction: Wa l-Mart Stores, Inc. or simply Walmart is an American multinational retail corporation which runs a large chain of department stores around the world. The success of this renowned business corporation is such that Fortune 500 has revealed it to be the world’s third largest public corporation. As one of the world’s most prestigious companies, currently over two million employees are privately employed at Walmart. It is also the largest grocery retailer in the US. There are already 8500 stores operating in as many as 15 countries under different names and the head of Walmart has thrown light on more plans for growth on an international level. While addressing the Wake Forest University students recently, Mike Duke who is the president and CEO of Walmart claimed that in order to face the fierce competitiveness in the present global economy and to stay ahead of the other reputable national and international organizations, Walmart will have to speed up its growth process. In the same address, Duke announced plans to conquer Africa also â€Å"by making a preliminary offer to buy Massmart Holdings Ltd† (Daniel). This paper aims at reviewing literature as a way of finding out what it has to say on the success of Walmart and what management strategies are employed by the management of this corporation to satisfy the needs of both employees and customers. Role of innovation in sustaining business success and growth: The growth of the international Walmart business outside the US is described by Duke as absolutely phenomenal and accelerated in context of building new department stores and serving dynamic needs of a diverse line of customers (Daniel). It is claimed by the Walmart organization itself that innovative leadership, concerned management, and a deep commitment to save public’s money have together given this business a global reputation due to which it is still in

UM&UC Family Health Clinic - Meeting Meaningful Use of Billing Research Paper

UM&UC Family Health Clinic - Meeting Meaningful Use of Billing Function EHR InfoSys - Research Paper Example This system helps to generates more customer satisfaction, reliability and safety towards the patients. EHR system also supports the automatic recording of charges and their claims in respect to patients. This also keeps appropriate records of medicines prescribed by physicians of the respective patients to avoid mistakes and confusion. EHR system also provides effective performance in the overall medical procedure of patients. Moreover, EHR system stores all requisite records from admission to discharge of the patients to make the process of organization smooth and effective. The day-to-day requirement of every necessities whether it would be their room charges, food, medicine, treatment and testing expenses are consistently recorded in these EHR systems. Hence it can be concluded that implementation of EHR system in health care industry will help to enhance medical care, safety and services to the patients in an effective manner. This will ultimately provide a competitive advantage and profit maximization for the health care industry (Health IT.gov, 2013; Carroll et al., 2012). Infosys Electronic Health Record System (EHR) is an architectural design, which must be implemented by UM & UC Family Health Clinic to improve the quality of care, safety and decisions regarding the financial management. EHR delivers comprehensive health care services through electronic devices, various tools of health management, referral management, scheduling and clinical messaging. Through the application of EHR healthcare organizations delivers extreme quality performance towards care and safety of patients. EHR will build transparency and accuracy in maintaining as well as storing of various medical records of patients. Due to the implementation of this system there will be less mix of data and the data will be stored in an organized manner. This will benefit the patients as well as the

Differentiating Between Market Structures Coursework

Differentiating Between Market Structures - Coursework Example In such context, fast food outlets will be the best place to grab a precooked burger and a hot beverage for the morning meal. With increasing consumption of fast food, America is experiencing substantial growth in the industry. Market statistics indicate that this industry is likely to experience a boost; hence its future prospects seem promising. Organizations in the Fast Food Industry In practical context, examples of established organizations within the fast food industry include McDonalds, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken, among other companies. Within the essay, we will focus on Kentucky Fried Chicken, which features as one of the most successful business franchise in the world. Kentucky entered the industry, upon which it established itself as an icon in preparation and sale of chicken products and other fast food items. It is known for its finger licking chicken and attracts a wide range of consumers into its outlets worldwide. Currently, the organization has franchises located in different geographical regions including China and Indian markets. With current increase in fast food consumption, Kentucky Fried Chicken is repositioning itself in the global market in order to reap maximum benefits. Within the American market and beyond, Kentucky is tied with other established fast food giants like McDonalds, Wendy’s and Burger King. ... r of buyers and sellers, level of competition, prospects of market entry and range of products and services offered to consumers within a given market segment. Based on these attributes, the four basic market structures include perfect competition, oligopoly, monopolistic competition and monopoly. Kentucky Fried chicken operates its business within a perfect competition environment. Characteristics of Perfect Competition From a theoretical perspective, perfect competition is sometimes referred to as pure competition. In ideal situation, pure competition is characterized by presence of numerous sellers all offering identical products and services to potential consumers. Because all products and services offered are identical, then each seller enjoys a proportionate share of the market. According to Colander (2010), prices within such a market are not determined by a single seller. Rather, price elasticity of demand is attributed to consumer preference based on merit of product and ser vice offered by a given seller. Consequently, price of goods tend to be stable since no single seller had the economic influence to induce price dynamics. In this regard, consumers are protected from illegal pricing techniques since all sellers shall have to adhere to prevailing market regulations created by competition. In actual sense, perfect competition may not exist as ideally portrayed in theoretical constructs. However, typical characteristics of firms in practical business settings will place each organization under one of the market structures mentioned above. Marketing Structure of Kentucky Fried Chicken Kentucky Fried Chicken operates within an environment with infinite number of product sellers. Currently, there are thousands of fast food outlets across the world. Some of these

Cameras in Court Rooms Distort the Trial Process Essay

Cameras in Court Rooms Distort the Trial Process - Essay Example In UK, citizens do not only watch parliament proceedings but also court proceedings without having to attend in person. On the other hand, they also watch debates in the House of Lords and House of Commons on terrestrial television. In UK, trials of well-published are often televised as either news reports or separate documentaries (Brill, 1996, p.51). A channel that only airs criminal justice system’s footage, Court TV, is normally made available in the court rooms to inform the citizens of proceedings of a certain case. O.J. Simpson’s murder trial was fully filmed and watched by millions of audience. This made the lawyers and judges that were involved in this case become international celebrities. Another famous case trial that was filmed and watched by all citizens was that of Louise Woodward – a case of murder committed in the United States (Mason, 2000, p. 26). Pictures of her appearance in the courtroom were transmitted in Britain. That resulted into immens e public reaction. A campaign by the national media raised enough money to pay for her sub sequential appeal and defense costs. The televised emotive pictures made the public to sympathize with her, hence the assistance. Interesting issues concerning discrimination, individual liberties and constitutional rights are raised in this topic. Other international trials have also embraced the significance of audio visual technology (Mason, 2000, p. 26). International criminal tribunals that were concerned with former Yugoslavian dissolution and Rwandan atrocities were also televised, thus gaining mixed reactions from the public. Arguments Supporting Camera Use in the Court Television as Educator; Learning the Law A democratic society allows its citizen’s to access court proceedings. Anyone has a right to sit in the public gallery, watch the whole or part of the trial, or appeal. In UK, citizens are often free to attend even then House of Lords, similar to the way citizens are free to watch the proceedings of the Supreme Court in the United States. Therefore, there is no constitutional barrier that bars court trials from being televised. However, it is difficult for non-lawyers to understand court events. Television coverage normally include commentaries that make it easier for citizens to understand thus making the watching of a trial an educational experience that is even more profitable. In the OJ Simpsons case, camera men were frequently cautioned against taking shots of the messenger. This case has since created a knee-jerk sort of reaction. However, watching all court proceedings is limited during the week as people are busy in their work places. Attending court proceedings in person is every expensive while public gallery is limited in space. People have to arrive very early in courts to attend well-publicized trials in order to secure a seat. Citizens should not enjoy their democratic rights by making such sacrifices of money and time. On the other han d, court proceedings should be televised just like parliament proceedings. This is because laws are usually made in parliament and the role of court is only developing them. Precedent doctrine is normally applied in countries that use common law. Therefore, outcome of subsequent cases can be determined by earlier reasoning. Consequently, court decisions could equally impact on people’s lives just like just like parliament decisions. It is the right of all citizens to know these decisions. Moreover, even though all cases do

Marketing of Guimaras Mangoes to the United States Essay Example for Free

Marketing of Guimaras Mangoes to the United States Essay The meaty flesh of a mango fruit is sweet, but the fruits pit is so large and hard. Ripe mangoes are fragrant and soft to the touch, but not mushy. Mangoes can be processed into a number of unique products such as dried mangoes, puree, juice, chutney, halves and scoops, jelly jams, and pickles. A uniform quality and an adequate supply are assured throughout the year through processing. Processed mangoes enable exporters to serve their markets even during off season period for fresh mangoes. Also, exporters can penetrate buying countries with strict phytosanitary requirements by supplying processed mangoes. The distinct taste and nutritional value of Guimaras mango variety puts it above any other mango in the world. Mango is one of the priority crops being supported by the major programs of the Department of Agriculture (DA); Mangoes are included among the high value crops to be given priority under the High Value Crop Law. Distribution is an exceptionally important phase in the marketing of mangoes. The fruit after harvest has to pass through several agencies before reaching the consumers. The Philippines has already established its credibility in supplying high quality mangoes to important markets especially to the United States. The recent organization of the Philippine Mango Development Council provided the impulsion to unite the key players of the industry into a single advocacy group that will work together for the sustainable development of the Philippine Mango Industry. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE One of man’s greatest triumphs in the cultivating of wild plants is the cultivated mango. Centuries of cultivation and selection produced a luscious fruit. Many varieties are grown in different countries. Here in the Philipines, Guimaras is known as the â€Å"Mango Country†, gaining the name because of its sweetest and big-sized mangoes. Based on the data of the National Statistical Coordination Board of the Republic of the Philippines, the year 2002 was a good year for Guimaras mangoes. It was in this year that it formally joined the world export market and cooperatively, production soared to its highest for the last three years. 2002 production posted a growth of 446.40 percent or five times higher over the 2001 production. Despite the decrease in the number of fruit-bearing trees, more trees were induced to flower as favored by the weather conditions. The Philippine mango, considered in western countries as an exotic tropical fruit, is fast gaining popularity worldwide. It is the third biggest dollar earning fruit next to banana and pineapple. But competition from other countries has led to stricter international standard controls for mango and the fruits produced in Pangasinan and the other Ilocos provinces have yet to meet quality standards demanded by the United States. The United States may open its market to Philippine mangoes, with that country’s agriculture department funding a survey to find out which mango-producing areas have no incidence of mango seed and pulp weevils. Major importers of Philippine mangoes in the United States are looking forward to less costly mangoes from Manila with the decision by the US government in December to allow other provinces in the Philippines to export the produce. A United States-based Philippine official has revealed the introduction of a technology that would help cut down the shipping cost of Philippine mango exports to that country. Eventually, such technology would also allow mangoes from other areas of the country to enter the US market. Presently, only mangoes from Guimaras Island have been allowed in the US. According to Victoriano Leviste, agriculture attachà © at the Philippine embassy in Washington DC, The key is to create a niche market through our Filipino residents and possibly other Asians. Philippine Super Mango (carabao) has been gaining popularity in the US market as a sweet and more luscious fruit. The Philippine mango, coming from Guimaras Province in the Visayas, was only able to enter the US market in May, last year, after 15 years of negotiations with the US Department of Agriculture. Only Guimaras mangoes are so far accepted in the US. Mangoes from other areas of the country allegedly have fruit flies. Guimaras has been considered a pest-free zone and an ideal source of mango exports to the US. It is encouraging to note that the importance of the mango industry to the Philippine economy is now being recognized by all concerned sectors. The mango industry has provided livelihood opportunities to its growers and to those involved in its marketing channels. Similarly important is its significant contribution to the countrys export earnings being the third ranking fruit export, next to banana and pineapple. The Philippines is one of the top mango producing countries in the world with an estimated 2% share of the worlds 23.4 million tons production in 1997. The other top mango producing countries are India where 51% of total world production of mangoes comes from, China with 9% share. Mexico and Thailand both with 6% share. Exporting is one factor that helps our economy to sustain its stability with different problems it encounters. The need for unity among mango growers here in the Philippines is very important to be able to enhance the competitiveness of our own mangoes both in the local and world market. The recent formation of the Philippine Mango Development Council (Philmango), which was initiated by the DA Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS), is a big step towards the proper orchestration of strategic interventions for the mango industry. CONCLUSION Mangoes from Guimaras indeed goes beyond quality and taste compared with other mangoes exported from different countries. The target of introducing and marketing of mangoes produced from different regions here in the Philippines to the United States should be endorsed. Only mangoes from Guimaras passed the standards in the United States. In order for our mango producers to enter the US market, there should be proper technology to assure consistent quality and supply. The bulk of the countrys mango output are grown in backyard farms which makes it hard to assure uniform and consistent supply of mangoes. There are limited commercial farms, and exports are basically consolidation of produce from backyard orchards and small farms. Also, the lack of commercial technology in the packaging and in preserving the freshness to offset the long stretch from the source to distant foreign markets such as the United States should also be taken into consideration. Lastly, inefficiency and high freight charges from the local shipping industry caused so much burden. It adversely affected the smooth delivery of mangoes to its markets. Mangoes coming from Visayas and Mindanao should be transported to Manila before it is exported to foreign countries; the significant increase of price due to high transport costs makes it difficult to reach its destination. REFERENCES Kotler, P. 1980. Marketing Management. New Jersey: A Simon Schuster Company Compton’s Encyclopedia http://www.nscb.gov.ph http://www.organicconsumers.org Leovelyn Hope B. Parreà ±oFebruary 26, 2010 BSBM 4/ SOCIO 01Mr. Don Velez COMPARE THE EXPERIENCES YOU HAD IN PRIMARY SOCIAL GROUP TO YOUR EXPERIENCES IN SECONDARY SOCIAL GROUP If there’s someone who can give me good and true pieces of advice, it would be no less than my family. Every day, I came to meet and bump with different people. And these persons gave another dimension in my life. My second family, the organizations I have here in school also welcomed me. But there is indeed a significant difference with the way they care for each members. My family treats me, accepts me and understands me for the person I am. They believed in my capabilities and support me with my ambitions in life. My family gives me inspiration in everything I do. I can count on them especially in times when I experienced the down moments of my life. There was never a time when they left my side. On the other hand, my second family also gives another meaning in my life. Though I am part of the family, there is no assurance that they will always be there for me through thick or thin. They also have their priorities in life. Though they can be there when I a want shoulder to cry on, or help me out with problems in school but it is just temporary. They all come and go. Abstract Mango is one of the commercially and economically essential horticultural fruit crops in the Philippines. It is the third most important fruit crop, next to banana and pineapple in terms of dollars earned. It is considered as a national fruit in this country. Mangoes specifically coming from Guimaras can be eaten ripe or unripe. It is very popular around the world because of its exotic taste. The paper aims to exemplify the export of these mangoes which placed the country’s competitiveness in the world market and how it captured the United States.

The purpose of this experiment is to determine if organization effects memory Essay Example for Free

The purpose of this experiment is to determine if organization effects memory Essay The Effect of Word Order on the Memory of Boyd Anderson IB Students Originally preformed by Maglennon Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to determine if organization effects memory. Hypothesis: If word lists are organized in some meaningful way, Boyd Anderson IB students will recall better then from a jumbled list. Null Hypothesis: If Boyd Anderson IB students are given lists of words, then they will recall the same amount of words from the jumbled list as from the organized list. Operational Definition: For the purpose of this experiment the dependent variable of recollection is defined as the number of words recalled from the organized list and the jumbled list. The independent variable of a list is defined as a list of 15 human names. The organized list will be organized in a way that the names get longer and less common as the list goes on and the jumbled list will be randomized with the same names. Description of Research: The subjects that will be tested will be Boyd Anderson IB freshman. Half the class will be given the random list and the other half will be given the organized list. The organized list will be labeled A, the random list will be B and will be passed out without the subjects knowledge of which they have received. The purpose of randomizing that gets which form is to make sure no discrimination takes place and that an equal number of subjects get each form. The setting were the observations will be made will be in either Dr. Monroes History class or Mrs. Bills English class to insure that no subject is tested twice. The procedure is as follows. Upon entering the class I will give a brief disclaimer offering any subject the option of not partaking in the experiment if they so please. Then I will proceed to explain the purpose of the experiment and continue to pass out the separate forms at random. The subjects will be given a minute to look over the names on the sheet of paper. They will then be asked to turn that paper over and on the back write as many as they are able to remember. The subjects will have only one minute to recall the names. Then the materials will be collected and divided into the organized and random lists to be analyzed. The data that has been collected will consist of the list of words the subjects had written down. The data will be analyzed within their respectable classes as well as a whole. There are a few potential variables that could negatively affect the results. It is always a possibility that students will cheat by flipping back over their paper or looking on a classmates list. Subjects may not put an honest effort into memorizing or recalling the names. It is also possible that the time in which the test is given may affect the attentiveness of the students therefore affecting the results between classes.

Strategies Of The Sangguniang Bayan Members Of Pakil Politics Essay

Strategies Of The Sangguniang Bayan Members Of Pakil Politics Essay The strategies of elected officials at the municipal level in attaining good governance. The strategies of the Sangguniang Bayan members of Pakil, Laguna in attaining good governance. In the history of our government, we can be certain that over centralization is one of its most prevalent characteristics. Even before the Spanish era up to the American period, centralization is an established part of our administration and bureaucracy, together with hierarchal distinction which is one of our customary practices which is part of the behavioral characteristics engraved in our culture and tradition. Conversely, we can also be certain that local autonomy is a century-old vital part of our government. The barangay or barrio system of governing remained, which was later merged with the foreign system of government, although this was not thoroughly learned and accepted by the people. Thus, different laws were formulated and enacted to indigenize methods of governing along with the objective of promoting decentralization of the national government. This decentralization has become a major trend to address the publics assertive reaction to the irresponsiveness and ineffectiveness of the government in providing basic public services. The Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991 was enacted following the provision in the Article X of the 1987 Constitution which declares that, the State shall ensure the autonomy of local governments (Brillantes, 2003). The key features of the LGC were presented by Tom S. Villarin in an introduction on the book BEYOND GOOD GOVERNANCE Participatory Democracy in the Philippines (Estrella Iszatt, 2004): grant more powers, resources, authority and responsibility to Local Government Units (LGUs) to enable them to function with limited national support; transform LGUs into local planning units for development and innovative governance; institutionalize people power in local governance; promote the interface and collaboration of Peoples Organizations (Pos), Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), and the private sector with LGUs through sustained partnerships; promote ventures and undertakings between LGUs and POs-NGOs/private sector; and provide measures to enhance fiscal automy of LGUs. Furthermore, LGUs plays a key role in bringing about not just good but better governance to the people. This better performance is necessary because nowadays, elected officials in their respective LGUs are the ones who are responsible in providing solutions for the better implementation of health, livelihood, agricultural policies, etc. For this reason, innovative strategies for the development and progress of a certain province/city/municipality/barangay should be maintained and enacted by elected officials who are competent, accountable, and transparent together with the empowered citizens that are actively participating in the implementation of these strategies. Strategizing may connote competitiveness, an attribute that speaks of striving to get the most out of given conditions, and is an attribute which is rarely found in the local government (Sajo, Santiago Joaquin, 1998). But nowadays, strategizing for the development of the community has become a trend in LGUs. This process works in the viewpoint of involving everyone who is part of the dynamic organization known as government. Also its main objective is the reformulation of new sets of strategies that will apply in LGUs purposes established on a specific vision and mission, which also considers the external and internal conditions of its environment, and works with the commitment to all the stakeholders in the LGUs (Sajo, Santiago Joaquin, 1998). By doing so, this study will be able to examine or reexamine the grassroots of good governance in LGUs which will try to elaborate the governance that the national and local level have been executing. Hence, LGUs as part of the broad politic al spectrum is as dynamic as the national government, and focusing on this small but vital part of the society can direct us to a concrete understanding of governance with politics. The locus of the strategies to be included in this paper is on the LGUs basic and second most numerous component-the municipality. A typical municipality provides basic services for its citizens. Some of these basic services are maintenance of law and order, establishment and monitoring of health centers, providing of livelihood programs for the citizens, and above all, the power to tax. Municipalities are also categorized in terms of income class which will determine certain rules regarding some policies from the national government like the number of councilors it can elect and the designated amount of honorarium or salary the elected officials in the area (Wit, 1967). Moreover, the occurrence of the overshadowing of the Local Chief Executive (LCE) or the mayor to the other elected officials serving in a municipality is very noticeable, which is similar to what is happening in the national government. The LCE overshadows the authority of the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) presided by the V ice-Mayor which consists of the municipal councilors, the Association of Barangay Captain (ABC) president, and the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation president. Nevertheless, a municipality can directly present policies that need reformation, reevaluation, reengineering and worst, obliteration for the development of the entire Philippine state. To illustrate further the dynamics of LGUs and its elected officials strategies, this paper include some actual events which is happening or has happened in a particular municipality in Southern Luzon known as Pakil. This can be ideal illustration which will be a great help in tracing the roots of governance in the LGUs, and it can also reveal some real strategies that were being used by elected officials. Pakil is a 5th class municipality which is part of the 4th district of Laguna. The status of being a 5th class municipality means that it has a minimal source of income, with just an appropriate land area occupied by its small population. This municipality is basically an agriculture-based semi-urban district located between the Sierra Madre mountain range and Laguna de Bay. Also, this municipality is subdivided into 13 barangays, 6 in Poblacion (Silangan) while the other 6 are part of the Barrio (Kanluran), and a small barangay located at the Sierra Madre mountain range. Moreover, a part of the Laguna de Bay separates the Barrio into the town proper (Poblacion) of Pakil, and that separation of Pakil between Silangan and Kanluran usually results in disputes among the elected officials who are part of the SB. Alliances of members residing in those two different places is present in the SB. These disputes are can be rooted from the voting behavior of the people from both parts of the municipality. Silangan has less population of voters than Kanluran, and those voters from Kanluran always do block voting. This collective behavior had been viewed as one of the basis of SB members in dealing with issues for the development of the two Pakil. Also the support from the LCE is a significant factor that can determine the outcome of the issues that will be address by the SB. For this reason, the strategies of SB members for the development and progress of the municipality have been visibly or subtly affected by the dichotomy of their interests, the voting behavi or of the public, and pressure from higher authority. The elected officials at the municipal level primarily focus on their duty and function in the coordination and delivery of basic, regular and direct services and effective governance of the inhabitants within its territorial jurisdiction (Sajo, Santiago Joaquin, 1998, p.12). The coordinating and delivering of basic public services is already a given function that needs to be accomplished by those elected officials. However, being an elected official in a certain area, a person is not just accountable in performing the duties attributed with his job, but there is also a need for an actual and public association with the inhabitants of that area to directly address their problems, issues, and concerns. Also an elected official is required to be familiar with the territorial jurisdiction of the municipality. Every streets and sitios together with all the inhabitants of place within its jurisdiction must have a certain impact on the officials plan of action for the overall improvement of the municipality. Anything that the elected officials decide upon that involves any municipal subject matter will definitely affect the municipality as a whole. In the case of the municipality of Pakil, a certain SB member although from Silangan, apart from serving and doing his duty in the municipal hall as the officer of the day and aside from conducting committee meetings, also see to it that he has a time to visit and coordinate with the people on both places. By being able to do so, he would need to travel almost 10 kilometers to reach out to the people in Kanluran. Although time-consuming, through this strategy, that SB member promotes an innovative and direct information gathering strategy which is part of the participatory democracy system of governing. By hearing out the needs, concerns, and suggestions of the people, the SB members can prioritize a certain problem they should address. They can conceptualize and create a very comprehensive and specific solution for the improvement of the situation of the people. This SB members strategy is a very effective and innovative way of involving citizens in local governance. Through this ki nd of information gathering, the elected official opens a new way approaching and answering the needs of the people, which can help them analyze a certain problem or crisis and come up with a good plan of action that will lead to the development and progress of the municipality. Aside from implementing participatory democracy, SB members should have learned and mastered the importance of the skill of good structural planning for community development. This strategy is a requisite that should be broadly understand by the elected officials. Planning is the part where you can discover the strengths and weaknesses of a project, and most importantly, planning can also provide the elected official a chance to have a backup in case that unexpected circumstances happened. In the municipality of Pakil, meetings that were conducted by the SB members under their respective committees usually involve the planning part of the projects they want to initiate. The SB members need to have a good structural planning combined with a comprehensive plan of action which is an appropriate foundation in directly addressing issues and problems of the citizens from both Silangan and Kanluran. The attribute mentioned is a skill-oriented type of strategy. Strategic planning method also involves: 1) evaluating the feasibility of the project, 2) envisioning the results of the project, 3) reviewing of other related project or projects implemented, and 4) speculating the feedback of the stakeholders. The evaluation of the feasibility part of the project includes the budget assessment part. The budget has been the always the first thing to be considered before conducting a certain project. SB members have been able to control funds as committee heads, but the 5th class municipality status of Pakil is always faced by financial limitations which caused delays in projects implementation. To be able to initiate projects, although there is the never ending lack of funds problem, SB members have no choice but to knock on the doors of the office of Governor and office of the Congressman. They just have to wait for the staffs to acknowledge them, and they just need to see to it that they will not get tired to get back and forth to the office to follow up their requests, because these two offices will definitely provide financial assistance for their project, but the assistance has a charge, the political gratitude needs a valid payment in the form of support for the next elections. Another important factor involved in the feasibility of the project is the calculation of the time frame. Time frame considers both the length before and after the projects implementation. The period of time of the project and its characteristic of being a long-term or a short-term solution to a certain problem can also determine a projects success or failure. An appropriate timetable should be followed expansively to avoid disruptions in its duration. The time frame in public works project (e.g. farm to market road) and in a project that follows a fixed schedule (e.g. livelihood seminars and sports leagues), should be comprehensively calculated so that the funds that were intended for the benefit of the people would be efficiently consumed. The second factor that is involved in the strategic planning is the envisioning of the results of the project. Cost-benefit analysis of what would be the outcome of the project is a must. The result of the project must guarantee the improvement of the situation of the people. The envisioning part should also be a determining factor of what is the more important project to be initiated. Another factor of planning is the review of related project which is closely connected with the second factor. By reviewing a related project that was implemented before in a nearby town or area, the project initiator can visualize the outcome he wants to achieve. He can also modify some portion or portions of the related project for its improvement and so that it can apply and be appropriate to the municipality setting. Lastly, speculating the feedback of the stakeholders in the said project is an important factor that should be considered in the part of the planning strategy. Although the planning part is a strategy that is set aside to be done by the elected official, the reaction of the stakeholders is the first thing to consider before implementing a certain project. They are ones who would benefit and gain from the project, which is why assessment of their reaction is important. Stakeholders are individual or group of individuals that the elected officials have to serve, collaborate and work with, deal and bargain with, even compete with, or simply any entity that expects something from the LGU (Sajo, Santiago Joaquin, 1998). They are always expecting something from the elected officials way of governing; they have power that can relatively affect the decisions for a certain program, also they can influence the strategic plans of the officials which will serve for their own purposes and intere sts. These four strategic planning methods can be applied by a certain SB member on the projects for the development and progress of Pakil. Evidently, the strategic planning to implemented in Silangang Pakil or Kanlurang Pakil should have different techniques but should be similar in nature. This strategy is certainly a proficient way of performing the duties and functions as SB members who practice authority and power in a manner which show the attributes of a good leader who have mastered the art and science of public management. Another requisite that is considered as an important strategy in the municipal level of governance is the capability of the elected officials as policy-makers in the local legislative process. The Philippine state and our Constitution vested the authority to the Sangguniang Bayan the power to enact laws known as ordinances. These ordinances are made to apply only in their territorial jurisdiction. But still local government has achieved its territorial powers based on the division determined by the national government. Juan F. Rivera included in his book a section from the article in the Lawyers Journal by Mr. Justice Laurel which explains: A municipality cannot be set up in the position of an imperium in imperio. The municipality, even if it so desires, cannot completely emancipate itself from the central government. An autonomy, partial, sound and constructive, is the most that it can aspire for. Sangguniang Bayan or the Municipal Council is the legislative body in the local government. Its legislative duty is to deliberate and enact ordinances for the efficiency of the governance in the municipality. It is also the counterpart of the Congress of the national government. The legislators in the Congress author house bills, while the SB members as the local legislators authors ordinances. An ordinance is defined as an authoritative decree specifically employed in a municipality or a city to be regulated, implemented and followed in the area. An ordinance also varies its purposes and functions depending on the issue or problem in the subject matter it will going to address. Also, the local legislators, as mentioned earlier, is composed of the Vice Mayor who acts as the presiding officer of the SB, eight councilors (the number of councilors depends on the income and district of a municipality), the SK federation president, and the ABC president. Moreover, an ordinance could only be enacted if it passed a deliberation conducted by the SB members which includes a voting process that needs two-thirds of the vote of the council members. This voting process should take place in a SB regular session. If the vote results allowed an ordinance to pass, then ordinance can be send to the office of the LCE to be approved or vetoed. Typically, a SB member who heads a certain committee authors an ordinance that would directly address issues that involves his committee. Improving the competence of the SB members in making ordinances are made so that they would not waste their time, effort, money, and energy in the process. Probably, this legislative part of municipal governance is the factor that would require formality in its strategies. Thus, SB members should develop their competence in ordinance drafting to ensure its approval from both the people they are governing and the people who have higher authority on them. Furthermore, an elected official as a good policy-maker should consider the following strategies in ordinance drafting and its implementation which consist of: 1) the technical knowledge of the elected official on the drafting of an ordinance, 2) the clarification of the purpose of the ordinance, 3) the validity and effectiveness of the ordinance. A complete ordinance consists of parts which are: 1) the title or caption; 2) the preamble; 3) the ordaining or the enacting clause; 4) the command to do or not to do, and designation of subjects and objects of operations; 5) the penal if a penal ordinance; and 6) the naming of time when ordinance is to take effect. This is the formal methodology of an ordinance, which is usually taken for granted by the elected officials in the municipality. The technical knowledge in ordinance drafting is important because, to implement a certain policy to the people and the place one governs, that elected official should already know and mastered the law he made. By doing so, the elected official is making sure that the content he had included in the policy would be enforced effectively. The elected official should also lead by example in order to make the citizens follow the ordinance he have authored. As mentioned earlier in this paper, ordinances have different purposes and functions which depends in the conditions of the subject matter it will address. Ordinances can be generally classified into five classes namely: police ordinances, financial ordinances, administrative ordinances, franchise or contract ordinances, and improvement ordinances (Rivera, 1956). This is why clarifications on the purpose of the ordinance should be comprehensively explained. The different conditions or circumstances regarding the ordinance should be listed or enumerated, so that the drafted ordinances similarity and distinction to the other laws could be properly presented or modified, if needed. Moreover, the ordinance should be concise, exact, simple, and consistent (Rivera, 1956). Consistency in the words used in the ordinance should be properly observed. Ambiguous and vague terms should be deleted to avoid perplexities in its context. Also, the ordinance is in its best form if it is written in the language understood by most of the citizens in the place where it would be implemented. This attribute is present in the municipality of Pakil, where almost all of the ordinances, memorandums, and resolutions made by the local government are written in Filipino. Lastly, the validity and effectiveness of the ordinance should be clearly presented. A valid and good municipal ordinance is a positive, general and equal in its operation as a law and reasonable in its terms (Rivera, 1956 p. 221). The authority of the municipal ordinance is effective when the LGU and the SB members who make it are organized. The power of the ordinance should also conform to the different laws that were implemented by the national government, the provincial government and other higher government authorities. Most importantly, substance of the ordinance is more important than its form. The strategies on ordinance drafting that were presented will most probably result to a comprehensive ordinance that can be easily passed, enacted and implemented. However, a certain SB member in the municipality of Pakil stated that although an ordinance has been well-craftedly made, other factors could determine its approval. Lack of alliances with the other SB members to achieve the vote of two-thirds is a huge factor that can affect the outcome of the drafted ordinance. If the ordinance will not be approved it can either be set aside for further motion or it can be ignored as if no one considered its content. And the most crucial determining factor is the approval of the mayor or the LCE on the said ordinance. In Pakil, there had been disagreements between the LCE and some members of the SB, resulting to the disapproval of certain ordinances although comprehensively made which can certainly provide beneficial things for the citizens. For this reason, patronage politics is shown as concept that can be a subtle but a very powerful factor that is involve in the governance at the municipal level. Although competence in doing their duties and fu nctions is considered an advantage of elected officials as policy-makers in ordinance drafting, there are still many determinants of what would be the outcome, the approval or disapproval of an ordinance, which can set a huge impact in the development and progress of the LGU. In addition to the strategies of the elected officials as good decision-makers and policy-makers, they must also be familiar or at least have knowledge on good fiscal management. Fiscal policies greatly affect the economic stability of the LGUs, which is why political influence and lack of serious analysis regarding their economic implications should be properly suspended (de Guzman, 1973). Also, the tax of the citizens serves as the bloodline of the LGUs, which is why the elected officials should strategize on how to use it efficiently. The financial and material resources in a municipality are usually very limited. Subsequently, the capacity to use these resources economically is necessary. The elected officials should still know the basics of local budgeting although they are not the ones who will administer the funds. This is necessary because budget estimates are made by the elected officials as part of the projects they are initiating. If the mentioned strategies will be proper ly followed and applied, the improvement and progress of the municipality can be truly achieved. Although the strategies of the elected officials are indicator of progress in the way of governing a certain municipality, in general, good governance in the municipal setting is not just solely determined by their responsiveness in doing their duties and functions. The reactions and feedbacks of the citizens, whether good or bad, affect the strategies they are using for the development and progress of the municipality. As stakeholders, the citizens have the capacity to bargain and lobby policies implemented to them. They have the resources, which is not limited financially or materially, that influenced the strategies of their elected officials. Yet, there is also another influential institution which is the one behind some strategies that were being applied by the elected officials in the LGUsthe Department of Interior and Local Government. Department of Interior Local Government (DILG) is basically the national governments institution assigned in taking care of the affairs of the LGUs, and other attached agencies in the local government. Its powers and functions includes, assisting the president in the general supervision of LGUs which also consists of the promulgation of policies, implementation laws for public order, security and safety, provides assistance with the local government legislations, the training of police force with civil and nationalistic character, and most importantly, the promotion and monitoring of LGUs local autonomy (DILG Website). Usually in a municipality, a DILG officer is assigned to monitor and guide elected officials in their governance. The DILG officer is the one who organizes seminars and trainings that are needed especially by newly elected officials. DILG provides strategies for the elected officials in the seminars and training they conduct, but these strategies are being modified and indigenized so that it could be applicable in the certain places the elected officials govern. The DILG also checks the ability and competence of all the government officials in the LGU he is assigned to. DILG sees to it that the officials in the local government, especially the elected officials, who is part of the government temporarily, will give their best in providing the basic services for the citizens in their jurisdiction. To achieve good governance in the municipality of Pakil, the DILG is also trying their best to link the gap between the LCE and the SB. To the end the disputes between the two branches of the LGU, the DILG organizes dialogues between these two factions. The SB members stated that they are being viewed as an opposing party to the LCE which concentrates the power and authority on the municipality with its office. This kind of misunderstanding between the LCE and the SB is not yet settled, but the DILG still see to it that the two groups, although have their opposing positions will continue to do their duties and functions to deliver basic services to the people. Although the local government is established for the people and by the people, to directly deliver regular and basic services, the people, as part of the government, must also do their duties and responsibilities as good citizens. Their active participation is needed by the LGU in the monitoring and implementation of programs. This attribute is the most distinguished characteristic of participatory democracy. The system of participatory democracy is also a trend that is better than the traditional representative democracy which limits the responsibility of a citizen to just voting and paying of taxes. It also includes the people in the actual participation in the system of LGUs with the goal of attaining good governance. Through this kind of participation, the people are becoming empowered, which promotes the strict observance in the accountability and transparency of the officials they have elected. Affirmation

feminaw Seeking a New Identity for Women in The Awakening Essay

Seeking a New Identity for Women in  The Awakening      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Awakening, Chopin questions gender roles. Chopin seeks an identity for women that is neither wife nor mother. To achieve this end, she incorporates progressive feminist ideas into her writing. Yet, in the end, Chopin also shows that, because of years of conditioning, many women are unable to escape society’s stereotypical roles by any satisfactory means. The protagonist of the novel, Edna Pontellier, does not possess the skills needed to become independent and, despite attempts to escape, succumbs finally to the doomed dream of romantic love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chopin sets up a contrast between Adele Ratignolle, "the bygone heroine of romance" (Chopin 888), and Mademoiselle Reisz, a bluestockinged recluse. Edna Pontellier falls somewhere in between, but distinctly recoils with disgust from the type of life her friend Adele leads: "In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman" (888). Madame Ratignolle is described as "the embodiment of every womanly grace and charm" (888) and Edna respects her for it, but without a corresponding desire to replicate her charm. To be womanly by traditional standards apparently requires the kind of self-sacrifice at which Madame Ratignolle excels, and the narrator is much less in awe of this quality than Edna. But Edna wants to be womanly in her own way--to keep her own identity, her goals, her artistry, and to live a sexual life, liberated from the confines of societal expectations. Mrs. Pontellier admires the Creoles with which she is thrown together at Lebrun's, Adele among them, beca use they represent something which she longs to have: "A characteristic which distinguished them and which impressed Mrs. Pontellier most forcibly was th... ...r Seyersted. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1969. 881-1000. Delbanco, Andrew. "The Half-Life of Edna Pontellier." New Essays on The Awakening. Ed. Wendy Martin. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1988. 89-106. Gilmore, Michael T. "Revolt Against Nature: The Problematic Modernism of The Awakening." Martin 59-84. Giorcelli, Cristina. "Edna's Wisdom: A Transitional and Numinous Merging." Martin 109-39. Martin, Wendy, ed. New Essays on the Awakening. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1988. Papke, Mary E. Verging on the Abyss: The Social Fiction of Kate Chopin and Edith Wharton. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1990. Seyersted, Per. Kate Chopin: A Critical Biography. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1969. Showalter, Elaine. "Tradition and the Female Talent: The Awakening as a Solitary Book." Martin 33-55. Skaggs, Peggy. Kate Chopin. Boston: Twayne, 1985.      

Female Genital Mutilation in Africa :: Genitals Reproduction Culture Essays

Female Genital Mutilation in Africa ital Mutilation in Sudan In the country of Sudan, in Northern Africa, there is a procedure that is tradition and is performed on most women called female genital mutilation, or FGM, which used to be known as female circumcision. It has been a normal practice for generations, but is now the subject for international controversy on the morality and safety of this procedure. It is now known that 82 percent of Sudanese woman have an extreme form of genital mutilation done on them, normally at a young age. This form of mutilation is called the Pharaonic form and includes the total removal of the clitoris and labia, and stitching together of the vulva, leaving only a small hole for urination and menstrual cycle. This is normally done without any type of anaesthetic or professional medical care. There is also a more moderate form of mutilation, called Sunni, where only the covering of the clitoris is removed. This practice started and became tradition in foreign countries in order to ensure that women practice chaste behavior, and to suppress female sexuality. It has also been attributed to religious beliefs of monogamy although most religions do not support this type of practice. In today's society it has become more of a traditional and social norm, and has less to do with religious beliefs. This problem is not only in Sudan; it is practiced in the majority of the continent of Africa as well as other coun tries. In other cultures, such as Australian aborigines, genital mutilation is a part of the rite of passage into maturation, and is done on both men and women (Bodley, p. 58). FGM has often been referred to as female circumcision and compared to male circumcision. However, such comparison is often misleading. Both practices include the removal of well- functioning parts of the genitalia and are quite unnecessary. However, FGM is far more drastic and damaging than male circumcision because it is extremely dangerous and painful. It is believed that two thirds of these procedures are done by untrained birth attendants, who have little knowledge of health. They are often unconcerned with hygiene, and many use instruments that are not cleaned or disinfected properly. Instruments such as razor blades, scissors, kitchen knives, and pieces of glass are commonly used. These instruments are frequently used on several girls in succession and are rarely cleaned, causing the transmission of a variety of viruses such as the HIV virus, and other infections.

School Vouchers: Parents Need a Choice Essay -- school choice, school

The 14th Amendment in the United States Constitution forbids states from denying any person life, liberty and property without due process of the law. It further states that any person, within a state’s jurisdiction, cannot be denied equal protection of its laws. This amendment protects all people. Chief Justice Clarence Thomas, in a 2002 ruling, stated reasons why school choice should be protected under the 14th Amendment. Justice Thomas wrote in defense of school choice, â€Å"Whatever the textual and historical merits of incorporating the Establishment Clause, I can accept that the Fourteenth Amendment protects religious liberty rights. But I cannot accept its use to oppose neutral programs of school choice through the incorporation of the Establishment Clause. There would be a tragic irony in converting the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of individual liberty into a prohibition on the exercise of educational choice.† His ruling goes on to state, Respondents advocate using the Fourteenth Amendment to handcuff the State's ability to experiment with education. But without education one can hardly exercise the civic, political, and personal freedoms conferred by the Fourteenth Amendment. Faced with a severe educational crisis, the State of Ohio enacted wide-ranging educational reform that allows voluntary participation of private and religious schools in educating poor urban children otherwise condemned to failing public schools. The program does not force any individual to submit to religious indoctrination or education. It simply gives parents a greater choice as to where and in what manner to educate their children. This is a choice that whose with greater means have routinely exercised. The State has a constitutional r... ...her, L., Schimmel, D. and Stellman, L. (2007). Teachers and the Law. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson Education. P186-187. Kintisch, B.,Zelno, S.. (2002). Vouchers (SB 1) and the Law. Available: www.elc-pa.org. Last accessed 16th Mar 2011. Smith, G. (2010). Education Vouchers Gain Ground. Available: http://www.thestate.com/2010/11/21/1570848/school-choice-gains-ground.html. Last accessed 16th Mar 2011. Speel, R. (2011). Education vouchers would violate constitution. Available: http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2011/02/education_vouchers_would_viola.html. The Center for Education Reform. (2011). Choice Options State by State. Available: http://www.edreform.com/printer_FVersion.cfm. Last accessed 16th Mar 2011. WestEd. (1999). What we know about vouchers the facts behind the rhetoric. Available: http://www.WestEd.org. Last accessed 16th Mar 2011.

Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 6

Whydidn't we just kill her?† Kestrel asked. Rowan and Jade looked at each other. There were few things they agreed on, but one of them was definitely Kestrel. . â€Å"First of all, we agreed not to do that here. Wedon't use our powers-â€Å" â€Å"And we don't feed onhumans. Or kill them,† Kestrel finished the chant. â€Å"But you already used your powers tonight; you called Jade.† â€Å"I had to let her know what story I'd just toldabout Aunt Opal. Actually, I should have planned forthis earlier. I should have realized that people are going to come and ask where Aunt Opal is.† â€Å"She's the only one who's asking. If we killed her-â€Å" â€Å"We can't just go killing people in our new home,†Rowan said tightly. â€Å"Besides, she said she had family waiting for her. Are we going to kill all of them?† Kestrel shrugged. â€Å"We arenotgoing to start a blood feud,† Rowan said even more tightly. â€Å"But what about influencing her?† Jade said. Shewas sitting with Tiggy in her arms, kissing the velvety black top of the kitten's head. â€Å"Making her forget she's suspicious-or making her think she saw Aunt Opal?† â€Å"That would be fine-if it were just her,† Rowansaid patiently. â€Å"But it's not. Are we going to influ enceeveryone who comes to the house? What aboutpeople who call on the phone? What about teachers?You two are supposed to start school in a couple of weeks.† â€Å"Maybe we'll just have to miss that,† Kestrel said without regret. Rowan was shaking her head. â€Å"We need a permanent solution. We need to find some reasonable explanation for why Aunt Opal is gone.† â€Å"We need to move Aunt Opal,† Kestrel said flatly.†We need to get rid of her.† â€Å"No, no. We might have to produce the body,†Rowan said. â€Å"Looking likethat?† They began to argue about it. Jade rested her chin on Tiggy's head and stared out the multipaned kitchen window. She was thinking about Mark Carter, who had such a gallant heart. It gave her a pleasantly forbidden thrill just to picture him. Back home there weren't any humans wandering around free. She could never have been tempted to break NightWorld law and fall in love with one. But here †¦yes, Jade could almost imagine falling in love with Mark Carter. Just as if she were a human girl. She shivered deliriously. But just as she was tryingto picture what human girls did when they were in love, Tiggy gave a sudden heave. He twisted out of her arms and hit the kitchen floor running. The fur on his back was up. Jade looked at the window again.She couldn't see anything. But †¦she felt †¦ She turned to her sisters. â€Å"Something was out there in the garden tonight,† she said. â€Å"And Icouldn't smell it.† Rowan and Kestrel were still arguing. They didn't hear her. Mary-Lynnette opened her eyes and sneezed. She'd overslept. Sun was shining around the edges of her dark blue curtains. Get up and get to work, she told herself. But instead she lay rubbing sleep out of her eyes and tryingto wake up. She was a night person, not a morningperson. The room was large and painted twilight blue. Mary-Lynnette had stuck the glow-in-the-dark starsand planets to the ceiling herself. Taped onto the dresser mirror was a bumper sticker saying I BRAKEFOR ASTEROIDS.On the walls were a giant relief map of the moon, a poster from the Sky-Gazer's Almanac, and photographic prints of the Pleiades,theHorsehead Nebula, and the total eclipse of 1995. It was Mary-Lynnette's retreat, the place to go when people didn't understand. She always felt safeinthe night. She yawned and staggered to the bathroom, grabbing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt on the way. She was brushing her hair as she walked down the stairs when she heard voices from the living room. -252Claudine's voice †¦ and a male voice. Not Mark; weekdays he usually went to his friend Ben's house.A stranger. Mary-Lynnette peeked through the kitchen. Therewas a guy sitting on the living room couch. She could see only the back of his head, which was ash blond. Mary-Lynnette shrugged and started to open the refrigerator, when she heard her own name. â€Å"Mary-Lynnette is very good friends with her,† Claudine was saying in her quick, lightly accented voice. â€Å"I remember a few years ago she helped her fix up a goat shed.† They're talking about Mrs. B.! â€Å"Why does she keep goats? I think she told Mary-Lynnette it would help since she couldn't get out that much anymore.† â€Å"How strange,† the guy said. He had a lazy, careless-sounding voice. â€Å"I wonder what she meant bythat.† Mary-Lynnette, who was now peering intently through the kitchen while keeping absolutely still,saw Claudine give one of her slight, charming shrugs. â€Å"I suppose she meant the milk-every day she has fresh milk now. She doesn't have to go to the store. But I don't know. You'll have to ask her yourself.† She laughed. -252Not going to be easy, Mary-Lynnette thought. Now, why would some strange guy be here asking questions about Mrs. B.? Of course. He had to be police or something. FBI.But his voice made her wonder. He sounded too young to be either, unless he was planning to infiltrate Dewitt High as a narc. Mary-Lynnette edgedfarther into the kitchen, getting a better view.There-she could see him in the mirror. Disappointment coursed through her. Definitely not old enough to be FBI. And much asMary-Lynnette wanted him to be a keen-eyed, quick witted, hard-driving detective, he wasn't. He was only the handsomest boy she'd ever seen in her life. He was lanky and elegant, with long legs stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed under the coffee table. He looked like a big amiable cat. He had deancut features, slightly tilted wicked eyes, and a disarming lazy grin. Not just lazy, Mary-Lynnette decided. Fatuous. Bland. Maybe even stupid. She wasn't impressed by good looks unless they were the thin, brown, and interesting kind, like-well, like Jeremy Lovett for instance. Gorgeous guys-guys who looked like bigash-blond cats-didn't have any reason to develop their minds. They were self-absorbed and vain. With IQs barely high enough to keep a seat warm. And this guy looked as if he couldn't get awake orserious to save his life. I don't care what he's here for. Ithink I'll go upstairs. it was then that the guy on the couch lifted onehand, wiggling the fingers in the air. He half-turned. Not far enough actually to look at Mary-Lynnette,but far enough to make it dear he was talking to somebody behind him. She could now see his profilein the mirror. â€Å"Hi, there.† â€Å"Mary-Lynnette, is that you?† Claudine called. â€Å"Yes.† Mary-Lynnette opened the refrigerator doorand made banging noises. â€Å"Just getting some juice. Then I'm going out.† Her heard was beating hard-with embarrassmentand annoyance. Okay, so he must have seen her in the mirror. He probably thought she was staring at him because of the way he looked. He probably had people staring at him everywhere he went. So what, big deal, go away. â€Å"Don't go yet,† Claudine called. â€Å"Come out here and talk for a few minutes.† No. Mary-Lynnette knew it was a childish and stupid reaction, but she couldn't help it. She banged a bottle of apricot juice against a bottle of Calistoga sparkling water. â€Å"Come meet Mrs. Burdock's nephew,† Claudine called. Mary-Lynnette went still. She stood in the cold air of the refrigerator, lookingsightlessly at the temperature dial in the back. Then she put the bottle of apricot juice down. She twisted a Coke out of a six-pack without seeing it. What nephew? I don't remember hearing about any nephew. But then, she'd never heard much about Mrs. B.'s nieces either, not until they were coming out. Mrs. B. just didn't talk about her familymuch. So he's her nephew. . . that's why he's askingabout her. But does he know? Ishe in on it with those girls? Or is he after them? Or .. . Thoroughly confused, she walked into the living room. â€Å"Mary-Lynnette, this is Ash. He's here to visit withhis aunt and his sisters,† Claudine said. â€Å"Ash, this isMary-Lynnette. The one who's such good friends with your aunt.† Ash gotup, all in one lovely, lazy motion. Just like a cat, including the stretch in the middle. â€Å"Hi.† He offered a hand. Mary-Lynnette touched it withfingers damp and cold from the Coke can, glanced up at his face, and said â€Å"Hi.† Except that it didn't happen that way. If happened like this: Mary-Lynnette had her eyeson the carpet as she came in, which gave her a good view of his Nike tennis shoes and the ripped kneesof his jeans. When he stood up she looked at his T-shirt, which had an obscure design-a black floweron a white background. Probably the emblem of some rock group. And then when his hand entered her field of vision, she reached for it automatically, muttering a greeting and looking up at his face justas she touched it. And This was the part that was hard to describe. Contact. Somethinghappened. Hey, don't I know you? She didn't. That was the thing. She didn't know him-but she felt that she should. She also felt as if somebody had reached inside her and touched herspine with a live electric wire. It was extremely not enjoyable. The room turned vaguely pink. Her throat swelled and she could feel her heart beating there. Also not-enjoyable. But somehow when you put it alltogether, it made a kind of trembly dizziness like †¦ Like what she felt when she looked at the Lagoon Nebula. Or imagined galaxies gathered into dusters and superclusters, bigger and bigger, until size lost any meaning and she felt herself falling. She was falling now. She couldn't see anything except his eyes. And those eyes were strange, prismlike, changing color like a star seen throughheavy atmosphere. Now blue, now gold, now violet. Oh, take this away. Please, I don't want it. â€Å"It's so good to see a new face around here, isn'tit? We're very boring out here by ourselves,† Claudine said, in completely normal and slightly flustered tones. Mary-Lynnette was snapped out of her trance, and she reacted as if Ash had just offered her a mongoose instead of his hand. She jumped backward,looking anywhere but at him. She had the feeling of being saved from falling down a mine shaft. â€Å"O-kay,† Claudine _ said in her cute accent.†Hmm.† She was twisting a strand of curly dark hair, something she only did when she was extremely ner vous. â€Å"Maybe you guys know each other already?† There was a silence. I should say something, Mary-Lynnette thoughtdazedly, staring at the fieldstone fireplace. I'm acting crazy and humiliating Claudine. But what just happened here? Doesn't matter. Worry later. She swallowed, plastered a smile on her face, and said, â€Å"So, how long are you here for?† Her mistake was that then she looked at him. Andit all happened again. Not quite as vividly as before, maybe because she wasn't touching him. But the electric shock feeling was the same. Andhelooked like a cat who's had a shock. Bristling. Unhappy. Astonished. Well, at least he wasawake, Mary-Lynnette thought. He and Mary-Lynnettestared at each other while the room spun andturned pink. â€Å"Whoare you?† Mary-Lynnette said, abandoning any vestige of politeness. â€Å"Who areyou?† he said, in just about exactly the same tone. They both glared. Claudine was making little clicking noises with her tongue and clearing away the tomato juice. Mary Lynnette felt distantly sorry for her, but couldn'tspare her any attention. Mary-Lynnette's whole consciousness was focused on the guy in front of her; on fighting him, on blocking him out. On getting rid of this bizarre feeling that she was one of two puzzle pieces that had just been snapped together. â€Å"Now, look,† she said tensely, at the precise moment that he began brusquely, â€Å"Look-â€Å" They both stopped and glared again. Then Mary-Lynnette managed to tear her eyes away. Something was tugging at her mind†¦ . â€Å"Ash,† she said, getting hold of it.†Ash. Mrs. Burdockdid say something about you †¦ about a littleboy named Ash. I didn't know she was talking abouther nephew.† â€Å"Great-nephew,† Ash said, his voice not quite steady. â€Å"What did she say?† â€Å"She said that you were a bad little boy, and that you were probably going to grow up even worse.† â€Å"Well, she had thatright,† Ash said, and his ex pression softened a bit-as if he were on more familiar ground. Mary-Lynnette's heart was slowing. She found thatif she concentrated, she could make the strange feel ings recede. It helped if she looked away from Ash. Deep breath, she told herself. And another. Okay,now let's get things straight. Let go of what just hap pened; forget all that; think about it later. What's important now? What was important nowwas that: 1) This guy was the brother of those girls; 2) He might be in on whatever had happened to Mrs. B.; and, 3) If he wasn'tin on it, he might be able to help with some informa tion. Such as whether his aunt had left a will, and if so, who got the family jewels. She glanced at Ash from the side of her eye. He definitely looked calmer. Hackles going down. Chest lifting more slowly. They were both switching gear. â€Å"So Rowan and Kestrel and Jade are your sisters,† she said, with all the polite nonchalance she could muster. â€Å"They seem nice.† â€Å"I didn't know you knew them,† Claudine said,and Mary-Lynnette realized her stepmother was hovering in the doorway, petite shoulder against thedoorjamb, arms crossed, dishtowel in hand. â€Å"I told him you hadn't met them.† â€Å"Mark and I went over there yesterday,† MaryLynnette said. And when she said it, something flashed in Ash's face–something there and gone before she could really analyze it. But it made her feelas ifshe were standing on the edge of a cliff in a cold wind. Why? What could be wrong with mentioning she'd met the girls? â€Å"You and Mark . . .and Mark would be-yourbrother?† â€Å"That's right,† Claudine said from the doorway. â€Å"Any other brothers or sisters?† Mary-Lynnette blinked. â€Å"What, you're taking a census?† Ash did a bad imitation of his former lazy smile. â€Å"I just like to keep track of my sisters' friends.† Why?†To see if you approve or something?† â€Å"Actually, yes.† He did the smile again, with moresuccess. â€Å"We're an old-fashioned family. Very old-fashioned.† Mary-Lynnette's jaw dropped. Then, all at once,she felt happy. Now she didn't need to think about murders or pink rooms or what this guy knew. All she needed to think about was what she was goingto do to him. â€Å"So you're an old-fashioned family,† she said, moving a step forward. Ash nodded. â€Å"And you're in charge,† Mary-Lynnette said. â€Å"Well, out here. Back home, my father is.† â€Å"And you're just going to tell your sisters which friends they can have. Maybe you get to decide your aunt's friends, too?† â€Å"Actually, I was just discussing that†¦.†He waved a hand toward Claudine. Yes, you were, Mary-Lynnette realized. She took another step toward Ash, who was still smiling. â€Å"Oh, no,† Claudine said. She flapped her dishtowelonce. â€Å"Don't smile.† â€Å"I like a girl with spirit,† Ash offered, as if he'dworked hard on finding the most obnoxious thing possible to say. Then, with a sort of determined bravado, he winked, reached out, and chucked Mary-Lynnette under the chin. Fzzz! Sparks. Mary-Lynnette sprang back. So didAsh, looking at his own hand as if it had betrayed him. Mary-Lynnette had an inexplicable impulse to knock Ash flat and fall down on top of him. She'd never felt that for any boy before. She ignored the impulse and kicked him in the shin. He yelped and hopped backward. Once again the sleepy smugness was gone from his face. He looked alarmed. â€Å"I think you'd better go away now,† Mary-Lynnette said pleasantly. She was amazed at herself. She'd never been the violent type. Maybe there werethings hidden deep inside her that she'd never suspected. Claudine was gasping and shaking her head. Ashwas still hopping, but not going anywhere. MaryLynnette advanced on him again. Even though he was half a head taller, he backed up. He stared at her in something like wonder. â€Å"Hey. Hey, look, you know, you really don't knowwhat you're doing,† he said. â€Å"If you knew†¦Ã¢â‚¬  AndMary-Lynnette saw it again-something in his face that made him suddenly look not fatuous or amiable at all. Like the glitter of a knife blade in the light. Something that saiddanger†¦ . â€Å"Oh, go bother someone else, † Mary-Lynnette said. She drew back her foot for another kick. He opened his mouth, then shut it. Still holding his shin, he looked at Claudine and managed a hurt and miserable flirtatious smile. â€Å"Thanks so much for all your-â€Å" â€Å"Go!† He lost the smile. â€Å"That's what I'm doingl† He limped to the front door. She followed him. â€Å"What do they call you, anyway?† he asked from the front yard, as if he'd finally found the comebackhe'd been looking for. â€Å"Mary? Marylin? M'lin? M.L.?† â€Å"They call me Mary-Lynnette,† Mary-Lynnette said flatly, and added under her breath, â€Å"That do speak of me.† She'd read The Taming of the Shrew in honors English last year. â€Å"Oh, yeah? How about M'lin the cursed?† He was still backing away. Mary-Lynnette was startled. So maybe his class hadread it, too. But he didn't look smart enough to quote Shakespeare. â€Å"Have fun with your sisters,† she said, and shutthe door. Then she leaned against it, trying to get herbreath. Her fingers and face were prickly-numb, as if she were going to faint. If those girls had only murderedhim, I'd understand, she thought. But they're all sostrange-there's something seriously weird about that whole family. Weird in a way that scared her. If she'd believed in premonitions, she'd have been even more scared. She had a bad feeling-a feeling that things weregoing to happen†¦. Claudine was staring at her from the living room. â€Å"Very fabulous,† she said. â€Å"You've just kicked a guest. Now, what was that all about?†Ã¢â‚¬ He wouldn't leave.† â€Å"You know what I mean. Do you two know eachother?† Mary-Lynnette just shrugged vaguely. The dizziness was passing, but her mind was swimming with questions. Claudine looked at her intently, then shook herhead. â€Å"I remember my little brother-when he wasfour years old he used to push a girl flat on her face in the sandbox. He did it to show he liked her.† Mary-Lynnette ignored this. â€Å"Claude-what wasAshherefor? What did you talk about?† â€Å"About nothing,† Claudine said, exasperated â€Å"Justordinary conversation. Since you hate him so much,what difference does it make?† Then, as Mary Lynnette kept looking at her, she sighed. â€Å"He was very interested in weird facts about life in the country. All the local stories.† Mary-Lynnette snorted. â€Å"Did you tell him about Sasquatch?† â€Å"I told him about Vic and Todd.† Mary-Lynnette froze. â€Å"You're jolting Why?†Ã¢â‚¬ËœBecause that's the kind of thing he asked about! People lost in time-â€Å" ?Losing time.,? â€Å"Whatever. We were just having a nice conversation. He was a nice boy. Finis. â€Å" Mary-Lynnette's heart was beating fast. She was right. She was sure of it now. Todd and Vicwereconnected to whatever had happened with the sisters and Mrs. B. But what was the connection? I'm going to go and find out, she thought.