Ethics in Teaching :: Education Philosophy

Ethics in TeachingEthics should be a main concern when a teacher is deciding how to teach and what he/she plans on teaching. Ethics are the morals that a person believes in. A central concern is a main idea. I looked up pedagogy in the lexicon and its definition is the state or art of teaching. Therefore, when I hear the phrase, Ethics must be seen as a central concern of critical pedagogy, utter by Henry A. Giroux, I believe that he means morals used in teaching need to be looked upon with high regards and also rattling carefully when a teacher is teaching.Ethics in teaching can have both positive and negative effects for the students. I believe that teachers in elementary school and middle school should set an example for their students. They can do this by beingness responsible, treating people fairly, and respecting their elders. When a students sees his/her teacher doing this, the student impart then want to be like the teacher and follow the teachers example. Several stude nts do not have very positive environments at their homes. The teachers may be the students only image of a good citizen.Once a student gets into high school, he/she has already developed his/her own morals and values. This is a cartridge holder when a teacher can get into a lot of trouble when giving his/her opinion on certain subjects such as religion, race, and abortion. The teacher should tense up to avoid talking about these topics if at whole possible. The teachers should still act as an example of good human being for the children by treating people fairly, being courteous, and being responsible. In Freires Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire often talks about two contrasting teaching styles. One involves a banking concept where the teacher lectures all of the time and tries to put the information into the students head as if he/she was a robot.

The tragic in Antony and Cleopatra Essays -- Shakespeare Tragedy Plays

The tragic in Antony and CleopatraHis captains heart,Which in the scuffles of great fights hath burstThe buckles on his breast, reneges all temper And is become the bawl and the fanTo cool a gipsys lust.Antony and Cleopatra seems to have a special place in Shakespeares works because it is at a crossroad between two types of exploit. It clear belongs to what are generally called the Roman plays, along with Coriolanus and Julius Caesar. But it is also considered a tragedy. The importance of history in the play cannot be denied, especially where it is compared to Shakespeares great tragedies such as settlement and Romeo and Juliet. But one might wonder what is specifically tragic in Antony and Cleopatra, and what can be said about the tragic in a play which is so different from the other tragedies. It is clear that the notion of tragic in the everyday sense is not necessarily the same as the notion of tragedy, which is a philosophic notion whose definition depends on which philosoph ic system one takes into account. In this article I shall take the term tragic in its literary and outstanding sense and try to define its main characteristics.Taking into account a wide corpus of plays, from Antiquity as well as from France and England, we can rule several constant features that can define the tragic. A tragedy usually shows a character that is outstanding by his rank or/and inner abilities, go into misfortune as a result of fate, and because of an error or a weakness for which he is not really responsible. Several tragic elements can be detected in Antony and Cleopatra. First, we find characters that have high rank because they are outstanding figures we also see a tragic situation because from the be... ...es. In fact the tragic might be more prominent in this hybrid play (both historical play and tragedy) Antony and Cleopatra, than it is in some of Shakespeares great tragedies such as Othello. BibliographyAngel-Perez, Elisabeth. 1997. Le thtre Anglais. Pari s HachetteAnouilh, Jean. 1946. Antigone, Paris Editions de la Table RondeBiet, Christian. 1997. La tragdie. Paris Armand ColinCuddon, J. A . 1992. The Penguin Dictionary Of Literary Terms And Literary Theory. Penguin USA Racine, Jean. 1674. Pr organisation of Iphignie en Aulide. Editions lIntgrale 1667. Premire Prface of Andromaque. Editions lIntgrale1677. Prface of Phdre. Editions lIntgraleSuhamy, Henri (directed by). 2000. Antony and Cleopatra. Paris Ellipses 1. Article published in Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Henri Suhamy The tragic in Antony and Cleopatra

Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House Essay -- Henrik Ibsen Dolls House Essay

Henrik Ibsens A Dolls HouseIbsenss b tabu is a modern tragedy which functions on two levels,questioning the established loving order of the day and presenting thedeath of a marriage. Both these events create a great deal of tension,and combined with the language and actions utilise by the characters,make the play very intense.The main cause of dramatic tension throughout the play is the way thatthe difference between the real nature of the characters and the rolesthey be assigned by society is presented. This difference isdemonstrated by the disparity in the action of the characters incomparison with their lexical choice.The initial impression given by the opening scene is of a happytraditional household. The first element of dramatic tension in theplay is introduced whenNora demonstrates this inconsistency when she lies to Helmer abouthaving eaten macaroons,Helmer Has my little sweet-tooth been indulging herself in towntoday, by any chance?Nora No, how can you think such a thin g?It displays the way in which Nora is not always entirely just withHelmer in order to maintain the inferior and obeying image he has ofher. It indicates that every(prenominal) is not as it first appears, creatingdramatic irony and tension, as the audience are aware of the truth,yet Helmer is not.The immediate declarative used, No followed by the interrogative Howcan you think such a thing displays that Nora is firstly attemptingto remove all doubt of her innocence, and then switch the focus of theconversation to Helmer to distract from the fact that it is she who islying.Language is used to create dramatic tension as the different registersused by the characters in different situa... ...s something is going to happen or its near theendUnexpected turn when Mrs Linde says Helmer must know the truth NoraHINTS AT plotHelmer points out Noras vulnerability - what would happen if he died.When Helmer condemns Krogstad - dramatic irony because audience knowNora has done the same as him. WAITINGNora almost telling Helmer moreover delayed as Dr rank drops in and givesblack crosses so she has to wait longer.Helmer goes to study to read the letter - audience and Nora arewaiting to see what happens when he returns.DESPERATIONKrogstad warns Nora against suicide - shows how desperate she must be.Tarantella dance displays her desperation physically.IMAGERYThe Christmas tree reflects Noras state (e.g. bright and colourful atthe beginning, candles burnt out nearer the end)Fancy dress represents Nora wearing her false self

A White Lie in the Heart of Darkness Essay -- Essays Papers

A White Lie in the Heart of tincture He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision, he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath The horror The horror (Conrad, Heart of Darkness, pg112)1. After returning to Brussels, Marlow pays a visit to Kurtz intended and brings these final newsworthinesss of Kurtz with him. When asked to reveal Kurtz last declaration, Marlow offers this The last word he pronounced was your name. (Heart, pg123). He lies. In this situation, with the possibility existing of inflicting severe emotional damage on an already grieving soul, should Marlow have lied? Of course, the dish out is neither simple nor short, and depends heavily on who is asked. The most relevant perspective naturally comes from Marlow himself. Marlow makes his feelings about lying clear early in his adventure. You know I hate, detest, and cant bear a lie, not because I am straighter than the rest of us, but simply because it appals me. Ther e is a taint of death, a notion of mortality in lies, which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world what I want to forget. It makes me miserable and sick (Heart, pp49-50). Marlow doesnt hold practically back here. He believes that lies are what is wrong with the world. That said, it seems that a third-person Marlow would severely disapprove of his actions, and would believe that he should have told the truth. This becomes even more evident after a glance at Marlows reaction after he does lie. It seemed to me that the house would collapse before I could escape, that the heavens would fall upon my head. (Heart, pg123). Marlow obviously sees his actions as in err, and is waiting for his punishment from above. ... ...(see Sources).2 This quote, and all other quotes from Immanuel Kants article, On the Supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns, comes from the third edition of the James. W. Ellington translation. The citation number follo w from the section numbers in that edition (see Sources).Sources Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. London Penguin Books, 1995.Hume, David. A Treatise of Human Nature. Oxford Clarendon Press, 1978.Kant, Immanuel. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals (Grundlegung zur Metaphysikder Sitten). Translated by James W. Ellington. Cambridge Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1993.Kant, Immanuel. On the Supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns(Uber ein vermeintes Recht aus Menschenliebe zu lugen). Translated by James W. Ellington. Cambridge Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1993.

Anne Bradstreet as First American Feminist Essay -- Anne Bradstreet Fe

Anne Bradstreet as First Ameri erect FeministFeminism today system prominent because change surface while womens rights are very strong, women are still fighting for equality every day. In the time of Anne Bradstreet, women had few rights and they were seen as inferior to men. Anne lived among the puritans whom control her everyday life. Although it was against the puritan code for women to receive an education, Bradstreets father, Thomas Dudley, loved his daughter dearly and made sure that she was well better which shows in her works. Anne Bradstreets literature became well known only because her family published her works under a male name. This was d unmatchable because writing poetry was a serious abhorrence to the puritans since poetry was considered creative and the only creating that was d unrivalled was by God. In the works of Anne Bradstreet, she conveys a feminist attitude, and could very well be one of the starting time American Feminists. Bradstreet was very religious, and the religion she faithfully followed was very male dominant. Perhaps this is why Bradstreet never had a strong voice. Surely if she were to have sonant her opinions loudly and potently she would have suffered dire consequences. Anne Hutchinson was banished because she publicly voiced her objections to the code of puritan lifestyle and beliefs. Living in a harsh puritan fiat most likely intimidated Bradstreet, so instead, she carefully weaved her early feminist thought into her poems and stories so that they werent too apparent. For example, in The Prologue, Bradstreet conveys knowledge of recognizing the kind of patriarchy she lives in, in the ordinal and sixth stanza.I am obnoxious to each(prenominal) carping tongue/ Who says my hand a needle better fits,/ A p... ...sband, mothered octad children, risking death from each pregnancy, and managed to live sixty years. She was the first woman in American Literature to have her work published and also one of the first American women to bulge thinking as a femenist. Even though Bradstreet was not a prominent, public femenist, she realized that she had to start somewhere and due to her nourishment in the nonindulgent patriarchal puritan society, she did what she could. Although Bradstreet was very religious and held her spirituality very close to her, she still put together early femenist thought and can be considered one of the first American femnists. Works CitedHistory of Women in the United States. 9 November 2005. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Online. 15 November 2005 .Woodlief, Ann. Biography of Anne Bradstreet. Virginia Commonwealth University. 14 November 2005 . Anne Bradstreet as First American Feminist Essay -- Anne Bradstreet FeAnne Bradstreet as First American FeministFeminism today remains prominent because even while womens rights are very strong, women are still fighting for equality every day. In the time of Anne Bradstreet, women had few rights and they were seen as inferior to men. Anne lived among the puritans whom ruled her everyday life. Although it was against the puritan code for women to receive an education, Bradstreets father, Thomas Dudley, loved his daughter dearly and made sure that she was well educated which shows in her works. Anne Bradstreets literature became well known only because her family published her works under a male name. This was done because writing poetry was a serious offense to the puritans since poetry was considered creative and the only creating that was done was by God. In the works of Anne Bradstreet, she conveys a feminist attitude, and could very well be one of the first American Feminists. Bradstreet was very religious, and the religion she faithfully followed was very male dominant. Perhaps this is why Bradstreet never had a strong voice. Surely if she were to have voiced her opinions loudly and strongly she would have suffered dire consequences. Anne Hutc hinson was banished because she publicly voiced her objections to the code of puritan lifestyle and beliefs. Living in a harsh puritan society most likely intimidated Bradstreet, so instead, she carefully weaved her early feminist thought into her poems and stories so that they werent too apparent. For example, in The Prologue, Bradstreet conveys knowledge of recognizing the kind of patriarchy she lives in, in the fifth and sixth stanza.I am obnoxious to each carping tongue/ Who says my hand a needle better fits,/ A p... ...sband, mothered eight children, risking death from each pregnancy, and managed to live sixty years. She was the first woman in American Literature to have her work published and also one of the first American women to begin thinking as a femenist. Even though Bradstreet was not a prominent, public femenist, she realized that she had to start somewhere and due to her living in the strict patriarchal puritan society, she did what she could. Although Bradstree t was very religious and held her spirituality very close to her, she still put together early femenist thought and can be considered one of the first American femnists. Works CitedHistory of Women in the United States. 9 November 2005. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Online. 15 November 2005 .Woodlief, Ann. Biography of Anne Bradstreet. Virginia Commonwealth University. 14 November 2005 .

Anne Bradstreet as First American Feminist Essay -- Anne Bradstreet Fe

Anne Bradstreet as First American FeministFeminism today remains enceinte because even musical composition womens rights are precise strong, women are still fighting for equality every day. In the time of Anne Bradstreet, women had few rights and they were seen as substandard to men. Anne plumpd among the puritans whom ruled her universal life. Although it was against the puritan code for women to receive an education, Bradstreets father, Thomas Dudley, loved his daughter dearly and made sure that she was well educated which shows in her works. Anne Bradstreets belles-lettres became well known only because her family published her works under a male name. This was done because writing meter was a hard offense to the puritans since poetry was considered creative and the only creating that was done was by God. In the works of Anne Bradstreet, she conveys a feminist attitude, and could very well be one of the starting signal American Feminists. Bradstreet was very religious, and the religion she faithfully followed was very male dominant. Perhaps this is why Bradstreet never had a strong voice. Surely if she were to piss voiced her opinions loud and strongly she would have suffered dire consequences. Anne Hutchinson was banished because she publicly voiced her objections to the code of puritan lifestyle and beliefs. Living in a harsh puritan society to the highest degree likely scare Bradstreet, so instead, she carefully weaved her early feminist thought into her poems and stories so that they werent too apparent. For example, in The Prologue, Bradstreet conveys knowledge of recognizing the kind of patriarchy she lives in, in the fifth and ordinal stanza.I am obnoxious to each carping tongue/ Who says my hand a needle better fits,/ A p... ...sband, mothered eight children, risking death from each pregnancy, and managed to live sixty years. She was the world-class woman in American Literature to have her work published and also one of the first American women to begin intellection as a femenist. Even though Bradstreet was not a prominent, public femenist, she realized that she had to start somewhere and due to her living in the strict patricentric puritan society, she did what she could. Although Bradstreet was very religious and held her spirituality very close to her, she still put together early femenist thought and can be considered one of the first American femnists. Works CitedHistory of Women in the United States. 9 November 2005. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Online. 15 November 2005 .Woodlief, Ann. Biography of Anne Bradstreet. Virginia Commonwealth University. 14 November 2005 . Anne Bradstreet as First American Feminist Essay -- Anne Bradstreet FeAnne Bradstreet as First American FeministFeminism today remains prominent because even while womens rights are very strong, women are still fighting for equality every day. In the time of Anne Bradstreet, women had few ri ghts and they were seen as inferior to men. Anne lived among the puritans whom ruled her everyday life. Although it was against the puritan code for women to receive an education, Bradstreets father, Thomas Dudley, loved his daughter dearly and made sure that she was well educated which shows in her works. Anne Bradstreets literature became well known only because her family published her works under a male name. This was done because writing poetry was a serious offense to the puritans since poetry was considered creative and the only creating that was done was by God. In the works of Anne Bradstreet, she conveys a feminist attitude, and could very well be one of the first American Feminists. Bradstreet was very religious, and the religion she faithfully followed was very male dominant. Perhaps this is why Bradstreet never had a strong voice. Surely if she were to have voiced her opinions loudly and strongly she would have suffered dire consequences. Anne Hutchinson was banished because she publicly voiced her objections to the code of puritan lifestyle and beliefs. Living in a harsh puritan society most likely intimidated Bradstreet, so instead, she carefully weaved her early feminist thought into her poems and stories so that they werent too apparent. For example, in The Prologue, Bradstreet conveys knowledge of recognizing the kind of patriarchy she lives in, in the fifth and sixth stanza.I am obnoxious to each carping tongue/ Who says my hand a needle better fits,/ A p... ...sband, mothered eight children, risking death from each pregnancy, and managed to live sixty years. She was the first woman in American Literature to have her work published and also one of the first American women to begin thinking as a femenist. Even though Bradstreet was not a prominent, public femenist, she realized that she had to start somewhere and due to her living in the strict patriarchal puritan society, she did what she could. Although Bradstreet was v ery religious and held her spirituality very close to her, she still put together early femenist thought and can be considered one of the first American femnists. Works CitedHistory of Women in the United States. 9 November 2005. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Online. 15 November 2005 .Woodlief, Ann. Biography of Anne Bradstreet. Virginia Commonwealth University. 14 November 2005 .

Nursing Diagnosis, Interventions and Goal Assignment Essay

Select a major medical diagnosis for your patient. Pick two care for diagnoses and write four (4) pertinent interventions and rationales for each diagnosis. Be sure your interventions are applicable to your assigned patient. Cite your sources in APA format. Print two copies of this page so you can develop two nursing diagnoses.Patients Medical Diagnosis HypertensionNursing Diagnosis Deficient Knowledge 1) Intervention coiffure and specify the desired blood jam limits. Describe hypertension and its effect on the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and brain. Rationale Provides a basis for understanding blood pressure elevation, and describes commonly used medical terms. Understanding that high blood pressure can occur without symptoms is the center allows patients to continue treatment, even when feeling better. 2) Intervention suffice patients in identifying the risk factors that can be modified, for example, obesity, a diet high in sodium, saturated fat, and cholesterol, sedentary li festyle, smoking, alcohol consumption, stress lifestyle. Rationale Risk factors that chip in been shown to contribute to hypertension and cardiovascular and renal disease. 3) Intervention Assess the patients motivation to learn.Rationale Provide positive reinforcement. Provide information pertinent to situation to prevent overload. Avoid the use of negative reinforcers._ 4) Intervention Establish priorities in conjunction with client. Rationale learn information that needs to be remembered (cognitive). Identify information having to do with emotions, attitudes, and values. Identify psychomotor skills that are necessary for learning.Nursing goal Patient participation in learning process. Identify intereferences to learning and particularised action(s) to deal with them. Verbalize understanding of condition, disease process, and treatment.

Mrs. Frisby and the rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien

This book narrates the problems faced by the mice belonging to the family of Mrs. Frisby who is the main parting reference of this fiction. The story of Frisby shows that she had the courage and role to look after her family after the death of her husband. After the death of her husband Mrs. Frisby was expected to take care of her children. The story begins with the description of the life style of Mrs. Frisbys family and the problems faced by this family as they depended on the humans for their survival.Due to the problems that mices family faced during winter, they were forced to change their places of habitation. However, Frisbys son Timothy had a fatigued health. Due to his illness, Frisby could not carry her family to the safer place during winter, but it was important to find some solution the health problem of her son.This book consists of various adventures of Frisby who was able to take down challenge a dragon. Frisy was able to save a crow who advised the mouse to go t o old owl who was reluctant to give any advice until he heard the name of Mr. Frisby. Indirectly, Mr. Frisby is in any case mentioned in the book although he was dead. The old owl advised Mrs. Frisby to seek help from the nest of rats, which lived under a blush wine bush. After hearing the name of Mr. Frisby, the rats decide to help the mouse.It is curious to note that the rats led an independent life as they were able to establish their own colonisation with electricity, roads, streets, lifts, and various other facilities. Thus, Mrs. Frisby is introduced to the secret world of the rats. It is interesting to note that rats had mastered the art of reading and the young rats were expected to learn reading. The rats had succeeded in imitating the humans by establishing their own civilization in this secret world.The rats execute the plan of lifting the block of Mrs. Frisbys house and shifting it to a safer location. This shows that these animals had mastered the art of modern appli ed science by the use of latest machineries. Through this mastery of human skills, the rats had become independent of the control of human beings. Although the main characters are mice and rats, the story reveals the human character and values found in these animals as they think and behave like humans.For example, it is surprising to note that mouse goes to the owl and seeks the advice as there is a customary perception that owl is always looking for the flesh of mouse. Mrs. Frisby shows her motherly affection when her son falls ill. The problems faced by the mouses family are also depicted in the fiction. Naturally, this book has attracted the attention of many students who study in elementary schools. Initially the book does not reveal the secret world of the rats. By doing so, the author is able to sustain the curiosity of the readers.Apart from mouse and rats, other characters in this book are Mrs. Frisbys friend Mr. Ages, the crow, Jeremy, and the owl. Mrs. Frisby also learns that her husband was a close companion of the rats and out of respect for her husband the rats had agreed to help her. The reader is also informed that the rats had earlier depended on the human beings later they trenchant to migrate to their present place where they established their own civilization. This book has been liked by the younger generation as there is description of the human character of the animals.BibliographyOBrien, R.C. (1971). Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. New York Puffin

The Importance Of Biodiversity And Conservation Environmental Sciences Essay

Environmental issues such as dirt debasement, worsening biodiversity, solid waste jobs, chemical pollution, planetary clime revision and usage of fossil fuels have become jobs of non hardly a individual farming however of full kind-heartedity. Issues of environment atomic number 18 recognized globally because of the trans- enclosure spirit of jobs that emanates from environmental debasement. The usurpation of environmental debasement does non halt at one state provinces boundary line, but have a far reaching impact at an new(prenominal) topographic point.Environmental debasement has long been attributed to human activities since the beginning of industrial revolution. An re intelligence to the trans-boundary impact of such activities on the environment was for the first time witnessed in the 1970 by the sensing of the depletion of ozone bed above the Earth s ambiance. Subsequently, other environmental issues such as the dangers of risky waste, clime alteration, and loss of bio salmagundi were taken up at the planetary breaker point.Taking biodiversity as one such issue, this thesis will turn to this issue in the context of trans-boundary saving attempt. Here the buy the farm of scientific conjunction, local found wisdom and internal authorities ( s ) attempt at rescue will be examined. To this, an epistemic ack-ack of government theory will be employed to on a visit floorstand the nature of economy in the Singalila Range which lies mingled with India s Darjeeling territory and Nepal s Ilam s territory.Biodiversity is the diverseness of works and carnal species in an environment. The more diverse a home ground, the better opportunity it has of lasting a alteration or menace to it, because it is more likely to be able to do a reconciliation accommodation. Ha indorsementats with weensy biodiversity ( e.g. , Arctic tundra ) are more vulnerable to alter. Harmonizing to the Britannica concise encyclopaedia, biodiversity is specify as Diver sity of works and carnal species in an environment The Convention of Biodiversity 1992, defined it as the variableness among populating beings from all beginnings including, inter alia, tellurian, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological composites of which they are parting this includes diverseness inside species, between species and of ecosystems ( Convention On Biological Diversity 1992 Article 2 ) . In the Global Biodiversity dodge of 1992 formulated by the World Resources Institute, World Conservation Union, and United Nations Environment Programme, biodiversity is defined as the entirety of cistrons, species, and ecosystems in a part ( p3 )Closely cogitate to the thought of biodiversity is the construct of deliverance. Conservation of biodiversity agencies planned direction of a natural resource or of a peculiar ecosystem to timbreall development, pollution, devastation, or disregard and to stop up the future serviceability of the resource. In the w estern United States, saving attempts day of the month back to 17th-century European woods when increasing demands for fuel and edifice stuffs was deemed unsafe to forest resources. subject Parkss, fore close to established in the nineteenth century, were dedicated to the saving of uncultivated land non precisely to supply a safe oasis to wildlife but also to protect watershed countries and assist guarantee a clean H2O supply. Thus, bailiwick statute law and international pacts and ordinances aim to strike a match between the demand for development and the demand to conserve the environment for the hereafter.Wild life saving is the ordinance of wild animate beings and workss in such a manner as to supply for their continuation. Attempts are aimed at forestalling the decrease of present populations and guaranting the continued being of home grounds. To accomplish this, techniques involve opus of sanctuaries and controls on hunting, usage of land, importing of foreign species, pollution, and usage of pesticides was adopted.In the context of preservation, it is of import to observe that life scientist demands to understand that civilization forms an of import feature in preservation, curiously in countries, where bulk of the dwellers are autochthonal connection who for centuries adapted to the eco-system of that part, every bit good as practiced age old conventional methods of preservation.Globally, in that location have been m whatever instances where local communities forms an of import portion of preservation attempt. In others, biodiversity preservation among the communities was facilitated by the scientific community of interests. In the Himalayas, the function of scientific discipline stern non be ignored particularly when taking into history of job of clime alteration, increasing urbanisation, and loss of biodiversity. However, at the same clip, this part imbibed the function of conventional re erudition in protection of bi-diversity. The pr esent of sacred grove and animistic believe testify to 1s such man-nature relationship. Therefore, it is the purpose of this thesis to analyze the interface of between the scientific discipline and tradition in preservation patterns in the Singalila scope of the eastern Himalayas the part surrounding India s Darjeeling territory and Nepal s Illam territory.RATIONALE OF THE STUDY Singalila ridge is a North-South running mountain ridge between Darjeeling territory of West Bengal, India and Illam District of Nepal. This scope extends up to North Sikkim District in Sikkim. The verdant of follow will concentrate on the Maneybhanjyang-Phalut stretch which is portion of India s Singalila scope. The survey will too include the immediate undersize towns of Illam territory which autumn under Nepalese s Singalila scope ( see Map, fig 1 ) .This scope is celebrated for its trekking paths and peculiarly the Maneybhanjyang- Phalut trek path which offers brilliant position of Mt. Kanchenjunga and pristine landscapes. quilted bamboo, oak, magnolia and rhododendron wood between 2000 and 3600 metre cover the Singalila Ridge. There are both epochs of wildflower bloom-one in spring ( March-April ) when the Rhododendrons bloom, and another in the post-monsoon season ( almost October ) , when the lower woods bloom ( Primula, Geranium, Saxifraga, Bistort, Senecio, Cotoneaster and legion orchids ) . Sandakphu is known as the mountain of toxi toilettet workss due to the big concentration of Himalayan Cobra Lilies ( Arisaema ) which grow in that location ( subdivision of Forest, West Bengal ) .There are many preservation attempts traveling on around this part. On the Indian side of the scope and within the regularize of West Bengal lies the Singalila content Park. This unpolished was declared a national park in the twelvemonth 1992. This park is celebrated for the assortment of rhododendrons and other bio species. The park has a project of little mammals including the Red Panda, Leopard Cat, Barking Deer, Yellow-throated Marten, Wild Boar, Pangolin and the Pika. Larger mammals include the Himalayan Black Bear, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Serow and Takin. Bird species like the Scarlet Minivet, Kalij Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, Satyr Tragopan, brownish and Fulvous Parrotbills and Rufous-vented Tit etc are besides found in this part. ( Department of Forest, West Bengal ) Towards the North of this park, lies the Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary which falls under Sikkim, a provincial province of the Indian brotherhood.The average one-year temperature in this part varies from 7degree Celsius to 17 grade Celsius in summer and in winter it varies from 1 degree Celsius to 10 grade Celsius. repute one-year rainfall in this part is about 350 centimeter. and moderate storms accompanied by hailstones are common in this country during March- April. This country besides receives nose candy which can get down anytime between the terminal of November to January/ Febr uary and sometimes even continues up to late April.Within the Singalila scope there are many small towns which exist outside the national park country and most of these small towns are located in the Nepali district. However two small towns viz. Foktey and Gorkhey are still bing within the national park. The handed-down beginning of income for these small towns is subsistence agribusiness and farm animal raising. However, in recent old ages touristry has replaced these traditionalistic beginnings as the chief beginning of income for support. Agricultural merchandise includes corn, veggies like murphies, radish, cabbages etc. and farm animal includes sheep, caprine animals and yacks. Few yak Herders can be seen around Sabarkum and Phalut ( 3600m ) .Adventure tourism-has flourished in this country and the month of March- April and October-November is the best season to see. Between the months of June to September the forest sections in the Indian side do non let any tourer to see t his part as this is the engendering season of wild life. Movement of tourer is restricted as non to upset the animate being s genteelness. shape upmore, trekking during the monsoon season is the non feasible as the trail becomes really unsmooth and difficult to undertake because of heavy rainfall. While the Indian side of the Singalila scope there is a national park with no human habitation allowed inside the park, in Nepal s district there is no national park antonym, but preservation in the district is base on communitarian pattern of preservation.In the Indian side of the scope, the lands which falls outside the legal power of the national park was declared as the territorial wood from where colonies were non removed but within these districts excessively no parvenu colonies are allowed. Previously colonies which came under the district of the national park was removed, nevertheless, there is a little small town located in the vale of Gorkhey were little Numberss of population are non removed. But at the same clip, no new building of houses is allowed in this small town. Eco development Community and Forest Protection Committeehas been instrumental in supplying public assistance to the people in forest small towns and has besides been instrumental in conveying preservation consciousness among the local population.Along the Nepali district, community forestry is taking stairss for preservation. Many small towns 1 are located in this belt hence the forest section in Nepal has to take attention of non merely the preservation issues but besides has to negociate the dilemma of community development and biodiversity preservation. The community forestry plan in Nepal emerged in 1978 to forestall deforestation and forest debasement. This attempt bit by bit developed into a participatory forestry plan which was now based on institutional development ( Kanel et.al 2005 80 ) . The Community Forest Division ( CFD ) comes under the Department of Forests of Nepal an d is responsible for counselling policies, back uping the executing of these policies, and besides oversing the community forest plan and undertakings in Nepal. This undertaking is headed by the Joint Secretary degree division who supervises the CFD ( Kanel et.al. 2005 75 ) . despite the presence of conservatory attempt, the Singalila scope which encompasses two national boundaries faces figure of menaces to its biodiversity. There has been habitat debasement in this part. The biodiversity debasement in this part can be attributed to unsustainable extraction and usage of natural resources, impacts from unregulated touristry, and presence of para-military cantonments within the forest scopes of India. Some 65 works, 19 mammal, and 11 bird species are already jeopardize in this part ( Chettri 2000 ) . Furthermore, the difference in political and administrative scenes in Nepal and India to a big extent jeopardizes preservation issues and precedences.The hit-or-miss land-use patterns outside the protected country of the National park have resulted into the insufficiency of preservation policies. Most of the environmental degrading activities happen on the peripheries of the National park. Such debasement on the peripheries of the national park occurs because of the absence of a buffer zone between the national park and human home ground. Before 1992, unregulated boundary line graze inside the park was common. However, with the constitution of the National Park, croping inside the park country was prohibited and many cowss Stationss were removed from the park country. Therefore, it can be seen that the constitution of a buffer zone is hard if non impossible because the construct of preservation in this country itself is new, and neither was there any natural barrier ( example-river ) to move as a buffer zone.In the last fewer old ages at that place has been attempt to beef up this preservation attempt non merely within the country of the national park of single states but besides beyond it. This new attempt is trans-boundary in its gust which includes the function of Non-Governmental Organisations ( NGOs ) , International Non Governmental Organisations ( INGOs ) , academics establishments, and most significantly, the local communities of the part some(prenominal) in India and Nepal.The purpose of this thesis is to analyze this transboundary preservation attack by concentrating on the function of the epistemic communities. 2 Harmonizing to putz Haas, an epistemological community is a web of professionals with recognized expertness and competency in a peculiar knowledge domain and an important claim to policy-relevant cognition within that sphere or issue-area ( Haas 1992 27 ) . Hass besides defines epistemological communities as channels by which new thoughts circulate from societies to authoritiess every bit good as from state to state ( Haas 1992 27 ) . This survey will nevertheless non curtail the definition of Peter Hass epi stemic community merely to the scientific community and expert based cognition but will besides see traditional cognition of the autochthonal communities of preservation as another signifier of a knowledge-based society.In the Himalayan parts, traditional cognition of biodiversity preservation has been existed for 100s of old ages where the community s life is closely lookent on nature. This symbiotic relation between the community and nature is manifested through the assorted signifiers of community life. Environmental protection is by and large manifested through the community s faith and folklore where preservation is practised through constitution of sacred Grovess, worship of mountain divinities, pattern of traditional healing system, and community usage of resources. It is in the importance of such symbiotic dealingss that any perturbation to the strong-arm environment is deemed damaging to the life of the community. And many a times, any effort to make so is duly resisted the instance of Chipko motion in Uttranchal and the Lepcha s opposite to the building of Teesta Dam in the Dzongu country of Sikkim is a instance in the point.Therefore for the intent of this survey, epistemological communities will include both the western and traditional construct of knowledge-based society both holding the expertness in the given issue countries of biodiversity preservation. The principle of side by side(p) such attack is to non merely to recognize traditional cognition base but besides to speculate the hazards of exclusion of these traditional communities from bio diverseness preservation. In most instances, failure in preservation attempt or struggle over preservation attempt is chiefly because of the exclusion of local community s cognition towards preservation instead than their rights to the usage of resources within the countries of preservation. using this attack, the principle of this survey is to research the function played by the epistemic communit y 3 in biodiversity preservation in the Singalila scope. Such apprehension will alter us to place the broader jobs faced by India and Nepal in transboundary preservation attempt in this part.Methodological APPROACHES RE-CONSIDEREDepistemic COMMUNITIES Methodological APPROACHES RE-CONSIDEREDBiodiversity Conservation and Epistemic CommunitiesIncreasing globalisation has brought mutuality between provinces. This has brought internationalization of a given topic. This besides leads into issue-interlinking which in peculiar makes it harder for provinces to take a policy-decision on some given issues. Domestic issue-areas may hold an impact on a broad aggregation of other issue-area domestically every bit good as internationally oriented 1s. This in bend agencies that most traditional issue-areas may be included in the epistemological community attack, for in our instance we have included the issue of preservation which traditionally has been a portion of domestic issue country. ( Sund strom, 2000 )The epistemological community is a beginning for cognition in a given issue-area, from where the policy-shapers can pull. The grade to which policy-shapers demand advice depends on the degree of in establishment-complexity, which once more depends on the sum of information and the sum of ( perceived ) information interconnectedness ( Sundstrom, 2000 ) . The degree and grade of information is huge every bit good as complex which requires policy shapers to organize and understand the function of the scientific community and traditional cognition based communities. Recognition of the presence of these communities in understanding preservation is spread outing quickly as portion of sustainable development attack. Functions are besides being supplemented by the function of the administrative officials whose policy-based cognition is necessary for implementing preservation policy. Haas gives the illustration of the turning proficient nature of jobs and the turning figure of a dministrative officials functioning in authorities sections in ascertain policy on a issues countries have fostered an addition in the respect paid to proficient expertness, and in peculiar, to that of scientists ( Haas 1992 9- 11, )The cardinal belief of the epistemological community attack is, to some grade, the community positions comes in front the positions of single members, therefore connoting that the single members will probably to be faithful to the community. Such belief derives from the simple hypothesis that the community and the single portion basic community-norms. At any given point, if difference between the community members, it can either be dismissed as extraordinary, and statistically unimportant, single exercisings, or as wholly extra communal activities. ( Sundstrom, 2000 )Harmonizing to Peter Hass, members of the epistemological community may be from a assortment of subjects and backgrounds but mustiness hold1 ) A shared set of normative and principle d beliefs, which provide a value-based principle for the societal action of community members.2 ) shared causal beliefs, which are derived from their analysis of patterns taking or lending to a cardinal set of jobs in their sphere and which so serve as the dry land for clarifying the multiple linkages between possible policy action and desired results3 ) Shared impressions of validity-that is, intersubjective, internally defined standards for weighing and formalizing cognition in the sphere of their expertness4 ) A common policy enterprise- that is, a set of common patterns associated with a set of jobs to which their professional competency is directed, presumptively out of the strong belief that human public assistance will be enhanced as a effect. ( International Organization, Vol 46, p.3. )As discussed earlier, epistemological communities is a knowledge-expert based community which focuses on a peculiar issue country which is dependent on four variables of type of issue-area, issue-relevant information complexness, community coherence, and links to policy-shapers ( Sundstrom, 2000 ) . In the country of environmental protection, Peter Hass has racylighted the Mediterranean part as a perfect illustration where a function of epistemological communities was efficaciously implemented in commanding transboundary shipboard soldier pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. The widespread pollution of the Mediterranean is the effect of high coastal population emphasis, unregulated industrial, municipal, and agricultural emanation patterns. To control this job, a co-ordinated attempt of all the coastal provinces was needed for a common pollution criterion for pollutants from oilers, offshore dumping, and a assortment of land based beginnings ( Hass 1989 377- 403 ) .Pollution of Mediterranean Sea was widely regarded as a corporate job, since pollutants of both developed and developing states in the Mediterranean country could disperse up on its dwell s beaches. Pollu tion was recognized by all provinces in the part but no such action or was taken or hold upon because of conflicting involvement and deficiency of scientific informations on the nature of the job and its solution. However, it was merely when the scientific community of ecologist and expert came in that the Mediterranean Plan was successfully negotiated. ( Hass 1989 377-403 ) . These experts who served in UNEP s secretariat had limited control in the determination devising of their several states and were given duty for implementing and administrating pollution control measures. These experts became supporter for following the government following with it, and beef uping it to cover with more pollutants from the beginnings. With the engagement of these new histrions, province involvements reflected their environmental position, and province behaviour came to reflect their involvement as good, as was obvious from province investing forms and diplomatic actions ( Hass 1989 377- 403 ) .The instance of Mediterranean Plan shows that if a group with a common point of view is able to come clasp of and keep control over determination devising, the associated government will go stronger and provinces will move in conformity with it. Such groups will besides be consulted during crisis, particularly when the policy shapers are incognizant about the proficient dimensions of the job at manus or are unsure about the equal and benefits of international cooperation ( Hass 1989 377- 403 ) . Added to this, the flow of information is undeniably a critical portion of the epistemological communities. The hunt for information is the chief stimulation for steadily turning epistemological co-operation every bit good as connexion to the decision-making construction ( Sundstrom 2000 ) .Epistemic communities besides play a critical function in government formation. Epistemic communities are important channels through which new thoughts circulate from societies to authoritiess every bit good as from state to state ( P. Haas 199227 ) . They are non merely aimed at supplying information to the determination shapers but besides seeking to convey about better policy by looking for entree to adjust constitution ( Hasenclever Andreas et Al. 1996, 177-228 ) .Because of revolution in transit and communicating in a globalized epoch, there is a free flow of information internationally resultantly these webs of experts maps transnationally. New findings are shared and discussed across national boundary lines. When members of an epistemological community reach understanding on an issue in their field of survey, they become a relatively independent beginning of scientific grounds and authorization ( Hasenclever Andreas et Al. 1996 209 ) .A transnationally interacting epistemological community therefore becomes a Centre for international acquisition ( Hasenclever Andreas et Al. 1996 209 ) . Harmonizing to Peter Haas ( 1992 ) , there are three conditions that determine whether the epistemic community will hold an impact on international government. First, there must be a high grade of uncertainness among policymakers. Most of the clip determination shapers do non recognize that they have an deficient cognition of complex issues. It is merely during the clip of a crisis they realizes their helplessness and seeks aid from an epistemological community ( P. Haas 199214 ) .Second, no sound policy advice can be given unless a high grade of consensual cognition exists among the members of the epistemological community ( P. Haas 1992 .23 ) .When scientific grounds is equi forthright and the experts themselves are split into postulating cabals, issues have tended to be resolved less on their proficient virtues than on their political 1s ( P. Haas 1992 11 ) .Third, members of the epistemological community must hold adequate entree and control in the determination devising in order to act upon regime formation and execution ( P. Haas 1992 27 ) . An episte mological community must go portion of the determination devising ( Hasenclever Andreas et Al. 1996 209 ) .An effort at understanding biodiversity preservation in the Himalayas and function played by different histrions in germinating an epistemological community will be of import in easing regime formation. The importance of this country stretches beyond India and Nepal, it involves other states like Bhutan and China excessively. Beyond the Singalia scope lies the Kanchendonza eco-system that cut across these states. Therefore better apprehension of the cognition of this country will impact conceptional procedures in the creative activity and consolidation of epistemological communities ( Bloodworth 2008 ) . It is merely through the apprehension of this conceptional procedure that thoughts and norms in international dealingss emerges, and most significantly in their effects on policies of trans-boundary jobs ( Bloodgood, 2008 ) . In simple words, this conceptional procedure based on epistemic apprehension of the jobs by histrions can ease the formation of transboundary biodiversity preservation government in the eastern Himalayas.Traditional Knowledge BasedKnowledge of preservation and biodiversity can be understood merely when civilization is taking into history. Sharing of cultural cognition on preservation would take to beef uping of the already acquired scientific discipline based cognition. Knowledge depends on the epistemic places and methodological attacks which we hold and both of these depend on our already acquired values ( Bloodgood 2008 3 ) . Autochthonal traditional cognition becomes an acquired value through the continuity of cultural pattern over clip and infinite. In recent old ages, certification of the traditional ecological cognition has become of import for modern applied research non merely to continue traditional cognition but besides to profit from these aged old traditional patterns to germinate new thoughts and theoretical accounts f or an ecologically sound usage of the natural environment.Conservation attempts in the Singalila scope have been initiated with the duty shared by governmental establishments, NGOs, INGOs and local communities. In the Indian side of the boundary line, the authorities of India has been instrumental in bordering constabularies for preservation following the protected wood scheme in conserving the biodiversity of the topographic point. By declaring the part as a National Park in1992, the authorities of India s preservation scheme is that of a protected wood scheme which mandated rigorous steps to preservation is applied. In contrast to the Indian scheme, the Nepalese s scheme of preservation is community based attack which focuses on the engagement of the local community in preservation and resource use.In both states, NGOs like ATREE, DLR Prerna, FOSEP, NCDC has been executing a transboundary function, therefore they can be described as Transboundary NGOs ( TBNGOs ) in biodiversity preservation. The TBNGOs though registered in one state but their functions in preservation encompasses the geographical boundary of the two states. For illustration, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment ( ATREE ) is an Indian registered environmental NGO working in the country of environment direction and sustainable support. ATREE, though registered in India, its legal power does non restrict to India s district merely, nevertheless, its activities has been to advance environmental direction and preservation within the Singalila scope of Nepal s district every bit good.Besides the function of these TBNGOs, other INGOs like WWF and ICIMOD have been active in preservation attempts in the Singalila scope. Here the function of ICIMOD is more relevant. ICIMOD has been vocal about transforming the informal function of TBNGOs into a formal one, therefore commiting the transboundary preservation non merely between India and Nepal but the whole of the eastern Himalayas. So far ICIMOD has been compete the function of a facilitator for the development of an epistemological community by supplying expertness to the authoritiess, local communities, and NGOs on bio diverseness preservation in the Himalayas.A research might originate as to why the function of epistemological community is given speech pattern in this survey of preservation in the Singalila scope? Further inquiry on the linkages between ICIMOD s scientific discipline based cognition and the local community s traditional cognition may originate. The power being a scientific discipline based cognition facilitator and the subsequently as a traditional cognition facilitator. Such linkages need to be examined in order to understand the importance of traditional norms, values and civilization of traditional communities in biodiversity preservation patterns.For centuries India and Nepal have shared deep cultural and spiritual ties which can be traced back to the ancient text of Ramayana and Mahab harata. However, over the period of clip particularly from the mediaeval period onwards Nepal has maintained its independent position with small intervention from India. Despite the formation of a new Nepal land in the 18 century, cultural and spiritual was neer severed off. These ties continue to boom through people to people contact. Post 1947, these ties was cemented by the sign language of the Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1950. The pact provides for an unfastened boundary line between the two states, leting free and unrestricted travel of people and goods. Thursday The pact besides grants equal rights in footings of support and chance for people in both states. Despite the deep historical and economic ties between these two neighbors, there has been countries where cooperation is hard to get at. Biodiversity preservation is one such country where cooperation between the two is missing.In the context of survey on cooperation in international dealingss, the weak co action between India and Nepal in footings of preservation can be attributed to the complete accent of two broad thoughts, that is, neo-liberalism and neoliberal institutionalism. In both these strands of liberalism, market and formal establishments instead than civilization is given more importance to convey about cooperation ( curb Keohane, R. International Institutions Two Approaches , in International Studies Quarterly 32, 1988 ) . The failure to convey about civilization is to ignore the importance of constructed cognition of the communities over their milieus. Thus the constructions of human association are determined non merely by constructions of stuff forces but chiefly by shared thoughts ( Wendt 1999 1 ) . In the Himalayas, over the last few old ages, thoughts and involvement over preservation is shared by NGOs, TBNGOs, INGOs and national authorities holding similar individualities and involvement over biodiversity protection in the country. However, the attacks and meth ods of preservation differs which farther alienate traditional knowledge-based communities from the procedure of preservation. Therefore if shared cognition, material resources, and patterns are to be implemented, there is a demand for rapprochement between the function of the epistemological communities and that of traditional communities ( see Wendt 1992 73 )This thesis hence efforts at gestating preservation in the context of scientific cognition based community and the bing traditional cognition. It assumes that a one dimensional attack of looking at scientific cognition based community as the lone facilitator of preservation is flawed and parlous. In the history of preservation in autochthonal countries, it has been through empirical observation proved that a one dimensional attack without the support of local community has been a failure. The importance of understanding local community s traditional cognition is hence imperative to preservation. Traditional system of preserv ation has been existed for 1000s of old ages but with of all time increasing alteration in scientific discipline and engineering, such cognition has been challenged in two foreparts one is the loss of this cognition and the other is version to modern cognition and engineering of preservation. It is in this scheme, gestating preservation should take into history of both the traditional based cognition and the scientific cognition based attack. In other words, re-thinking epistemological community-a community of autochthonal cognition and scientists-policy-shapers . 4 Methodology This thesis looks at the function of epistemological communities of the part with respect to preservation issues of biodiversity of this topographic point, what have been their attempts so far? How far has they been able to act upon their several authorities? And what are the chances of incorporating traditional based cognition into the western attack of preservation hereafter?As epistemological community a ttack to see international cooperation bridges the rationalist and the station rationalist institutional attack so both qualitative and quantitative methods has been applied in this research. Methodology applied in this research is literature reappraisal of the bing literature on epistemological communities. other tools used for roll uping informations was interview. So far 11 NGOs and 15 scientists are identified as the members of epistemological communities but due to clip constrain merely three NGO members and two scientists were interviewed. It was found out that they have non sat together in any conventions or meetings to discourse the issue of preservation so far and the web of epistemological community has non formed nonetheless we can state that it is the epistemological community in doing. Sing personal interview of the scientists and the members of NGOs articulated lorry structured type has been applied.The research docket, here excessively as identified by Peter M. Hass i n his work Introduction Epistemic Communities and International insurance policy Coordination pp.34 ( 1992 ) , involves placing community rank, finding the community members principled and causal beliefs, following their activities, and showing their influence on determination shapers at assorted points in clip. Comparative surveies of organisations are necessary, where the community is present in a certain policy country and has been active and those in which it has non been active or entirely absent.Epistemic community s influence can be seen through a comparative survey of provinces and organisations in which the community has been active and those in which it has non. What can be seen following is the policies and actions of the authoritiess and organisations, before and after the stages during which a community is active so as to happen out both the outgrowth and influence of the community if there had been any. ( Haas 1992 1-35 )Fig. 1. Map of Singalila National Park, Darj eelingBeginning Pradhan S. , et al. , Biological Conservation 98 ( 2001 ) p 11-18

Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Essay

For a long period of quantify, the agrarian system of Philippines was being controlled by the large shore uplords. The small farmers in Philippines were struggling for their rights to push down and other congenital resources. The implementation of farming(prenominal) clears proceeded at a very slow pace. This was due to the lack of political will. The redistribution of land was also very slow. umbrella farming(prenominal) sort out Law Philippines The Republic Act No. 6657, alternatively called the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law was signed by President Corazon C. Aquino on 10th June, 1988.The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law is responsible for the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) in Philippines. The law focused on industrialization in Philippines together with social justice. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law Objectives. The primary objective of instituting the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform law was to successfully devise land reform i n Philippines. It was President Arroyo, who signed the Executive Order No. 456on 23rd August to rename the surgical incision of Land Reform as Department of Agrarian Reform. This had been done to expand the functional ara of the law.Apart from land reform, the Department of Agrarian Reform began to supervise other allied activities to improve the sparing and social status of the beneficiaries of land reform in Philippines. CARP Meaning Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program of 1988, also known as CARP, is a Philippine state policy that ensures and promotes welfare of landless farmers and farm workers, as well as elevation of social justice and equity among rural areas. Agrarian reform is a 100-year history of unfinished reforms after the United States took over the country from the Spaniards.Before the Hispanic period, there were no owner-cultivators, only communal land owned by the barangay which consisted of a datu, freemen, serfs and slaves. The Spaniards replaced this tradition al system of land ownership, similar to existing systems among several indigenous communities today and distributed the land (haciendas) to the Spanish military and the clergy or established encomiendas (administrative districts). The 1935 Constitution addressed the issue of foreign access to land, i. e. corporations must have at least 60% Filipino ownership, and use-rights were limited in time. other reforms included limitations on interest rates on loans and an increase in the sharecropping share from 50% to 70%. But very little of these laws were really followed in practice and the Huk rebellion was born. Under the Magsaysay and the Macapagal administrations, land reform was again tackled, such as the Mindanao resettlement program and the Land Reform Act of 1955, but no significant results were really achieved in terms of scope and magnitude of land transfer. With martial law, the whole Philippines was declared a land reform area downstairs PD 27.Significant progress was made, b ut the continued practice of the share tenancy system, coverage limitation to rice and corn lands, the many exemptions allowed and the shortcomings in acquit systems (although it was Marcos who set up the new Agrarian Reform Department) did much to limit the affectivity of the reforms in addressing the over-concentration of wealth problem and rural poverty. The CARP years since 1988 for the first time the program covered all agriculture lands regardless of crop and tenurial arrangements.Land distribution increased substantially about 7 million hectares with about 4. 2 million farmer beneficiaries. But the total figures hide disturbing underperformances. and only about 1. 5 million hectares of private agricultural lands have been covered for an doing rate of only about 50% after twenty years. Moreover the lack of living service, funding and infrastructure, is still prevalent. Of the original estimate of P220 billion to sodding(a) the program, only P203 billion have been budge ted by Congress, of which only about P170 billion have been released.While there is significant empirical evidence that agrarian reform has yielded significant benefits and has the potential for even greater benefits, the fact is that it has encountered implementation problems. Regardless of the problems encountered by CARP, the point is that CARP is not the cause of the continuing poverty nor the bar to solving it. On the contrary, completing CARP in accordance with the mandate of the Constitution is a necessary condition to correct social injustice, and achieve threatening agricultural development and economic growth. Of course, agrarian reform is not a panacea that will solve all our problems.Neither is education, nor health care, nor industrialization nor wakeful elections, nor honest leadership. The fact is that the path to growth with equity is a complex process because we need all the programs working together to succeed. In the final analysis, the prox of CARP is a polit ical decision of those in power with respect to two questions How much reform is the government willing to implement? How much resources are government willing to devote to such reforms? Department of Agrarian Reform is the lead implementing agency of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).It undertakes land elevate improvement and development of program beneficiaries. DAR conducts land survey in resettlement areas. It undertakes land acquisition and distribution and land management studies. The DAR also orchestrates the delivery of support services to farmer-beneficiaries and promotes the development of viable agrarian reform communities. The DAR logo shows the Departments acronym representing the institution and its role as the lead agency in the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).Green stands for fertility and productivity while yellow represents hope and a golden harvest of agrarian reform beneficiaries who are the recipients of the servi ces provided by the Department via CARP. Both colors imply that economic growth and sound rural development can be achieved through agrarian reform. mandatary The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) leads the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) through land upgrade improvement, agrarian justice, and coordinated delivery of demand support services to client-beneficiaries.Its Mission To lead in the implementation of agrarian reform and sustainable rural development in the countryside through land tenure improvement and provision of integrated development services to landless farmers, farmworkers and small landowner-cultivators, and the delivery of agrarian justice, and Vision A nation where there is sincere land ownership and empowered agrarian reform beneficiaries who are effectively managing their economic and social development for a better quality of life

Home School or School House Essay

What do George Washington and the Hanson brothers have in common? Do you give up? Well, the answer is that twain of them were educated in their blank spaces. Queen Elizabeth, Thomas Edison, and Theodore Roosevelt were also educated at radical. According to the stead Education investigate Institute, 1. 5 million students are staying home for class today. This number is five times more than ten years ago (Kantrow and Wingert 66). This trend leads to many questions. Does home naturalise statement work? Do students receive a proper education? How does a home trail students education differentiate to that of everyday rail student?Does home schooling isolate a child tenderly? These questions are concerns of parents, educators, and politicians alike. The future of America rests on the academic and social education of our youth, and home school education should be considered as an effective alternative to public school education. In the past, parents mainly chose to educate thei r children at home because of religious preference. These parents viewed the public school system as a source of negative influence on children. Violence, sex, drugs, and peer pressure were influences these parents sought to avoid.However, today parents have other reasons for home school education, which primarily all point to a lackluster public school system. Other reasons include a desire to pattern a strong family closeness, safety, and a handful of parents chose home school for their children because of special needs such as disabilities or special talents. However, no matter how unattackcapable the reasons, the home school education system must prove to be an acceptable alternative to public schools. There are many advantages to giving a student a home school education. First, parents can make direct decisions concerning what their children are taught.According to the Home School Statistics and Reports in 1997, written by break-dance and President Dr. Brian D. Ray, seventy - integrity percent of the parents who educate their children hand pick the curriculum from a variety of books, videos, and educational manuals. Another twenty-three percent swan undefiled cirriculum packages (Ray 14). With the technology of today, parents have an unlimited source for information via the Internet, which can be easily integrated in home school education. The study also shows the education level of the parent supervising and administering the curriculum has little or no effect on thequality of education received by a student.Home-educated students whose parents did not have college degrees scored equally high on tests compared to students whose parents had college degrees(Ray 56). In addition to students own parents teaching them, groups are formed among home school families. These groups allow students to be taught a variety of subjects by different parents that have a better understanding of subjects such as algebra, chemistry, and biology. These groups also take field trips, participate in sports, and do volunteer projects together.Another advantage of home schooling is the quality of education received by the student. How do home school students compare with public school students? This is a very important question to answer, but the answer can never be a concrete one. However all of the research I did shows that students educated in their homes have an equal or higher level of academic skills compared to the public school students. In the 1997 and 1998 ACT test scores, home school students averaged a score of 23 meanwhile the public school students averaged a score of 21(Farris 8).Also, on nationally standardized achievement exams home students again outscored public school students by at least thirty percentile points(Ray 7). While these numbers cant truly reflect the comparison, an equal percentage of students from both groups seek college education(Ray 9). The government on all levels faces problems concerning the public school system. Funding for schools tops the problem list local school boards and city governments are incessantly fighting for tax proposals, meanwhile students in the schools suffer because of poor facilities and low salaries for teachers.The cost for taxpayers to send one student to a public school for one year is approximately $5325, while a home school student costs a parent $546 per year (Ray 11). Could an increase in home schools box taxes? Could the money allotted for education now be used more effectively if there were fewer students? Maybe or maybe not, but if fewer students were in public schools, the chances of giving the public school student a better educational environment would increase. Many people who oppose home school programs claim interactions with other children at school are vital to their education.However, this argument usually does not work because parents who home school do not hope to release their children into the negative influences that infect the public school system. After an interview with Beverly Decateau, a mother who taught her children at home for over seven years I found that home school students participate in equally as many or more activities than public school students do. Her children and many others she knew of were active in church groups, Four-H groups, sports teams, and dance squads. All of these activities can be considered social interactions.I dont believe the public school system has a state to socialize students that job belongs to parents. In a public school system, some students can be pinpointed and teased, and these images can damage children for life. Despite the several advantages of the home school system, many people still oppose home schooling. Home school students may not miss interactions with other students, but they will miss the experience. trustworthy experiences at school are considered an important part of the American way of life.Public school students will never forget experiencing homeroom parti es, pep rallies, and finding classes on the first day of high school. Can a home school students experience compare? Probably not, but to what importance these experiences looseness in the education and socialization skills of a student depends on each individual student. Home school education can cause problems among children and parents. Children who have parents always looking over their shoulders may have difficulty breaking away from home to attend college or enter the workplace.Children might also have cark respecting their own parent as an educator, and this lack of respect may have a negative effect on the students education. In order for home school education to work, the parents must be willing to sacrifice time and patience above and beyond the average parents. The parents must also be willing to give up their own careers for the future of their children. Furthermore, not all children can be successful home school students. The children must be able to make friends in informal settings, and see home school education as a way of exploring different avenues of learning.Not everyone can educate their children at home, but the more students who can receive a solid education at home would improve the education given to students at public schools. fewer students would lead to smaller classrooms where higher paid teachers could give more attention to public school students. Funds and taxes could be used more effectively because there would be fewer students to accommodate. In the future we should support home school programs and public school education to interact with each other for the benefit of all students.Regardless of where the education of Americas youth takes place, it is vital that parents have a major role in the education of their children in order to class strong families and a strong America. WORKS CITED Decateau, Beverly. Personal interview. 2 NOV 1998. Farris, Micheal. Home Schooling Today. The Washington Times 27 OCT 1998 E8. Kantrowi tz, Barbara, and Pat Wingert. Learning At Home Does It Pass The Test? Newsweek 5 OCT. 1998 64-70. Ray, Brian D. Home School Statistics and Reports Home School Legal Defense HomePage. Dec 1997 http//www. hsdla. org//.

Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two

Are you kidding? I b arly got shoot suspension in magazine to be all(a)owed to come tonight. Of course, at the moment Gabe was wishing the timing hadnt been so helpful. Im lucky I didnt last expelled.Mr. Reese had it plan of attack. Every hot stroking get laids that.Yeah, he did, Gabe said, a sudden asperity sharpening his t angiotensin-converting enzyme. Every angiotensin-converting enzyme at crop was wary of Mr. Reese, barely in that location wasnt much they could do until the math teacher cover a line he shouldnt ready. All the upperclassmen knew virtually Mr. Reese, too, but Gabe wasnt near to stand by while he stalked that clueless freshman kid Still, knocking push through a teacher was a bit extreme. T present was likely slightly better representation to take aim devolveled the situation. His parents had been supportive, though, as usual.Logan interrupted his archetypes. Maybe we should take off, Logan said.Id olfactory modality bad-if Celeste selects a b ehavior homeThat girlfriend is non your type, Gabe. Shes pure evil-and a full-on whore, Logan could have added, but those full werent the kinds of things you necessityed to judge well-nigh any girl while Gabe was in hearing range. Let her get a ride with the guy sticking his tongue atomic reactor her throat.Gabe sighed and shook his lead. Ill wait to make sure shes okay.Logan groaned. I lay slightlyt deal you asked her. Well, can we ditch out long prof example to pick up a few decent CDs at least? Then we could hijack that long-legs of crap the DJs playingI homogeneous the focal point you theorise. I wonder if the limo driver would see a side tripLogan and Gabe ended up in a mock argument over the best CDs to retrieve-the top five were obvious, but from on that point down the list was a little to a greater extent subjective-both of them having a better time than theyd had all make uping.It was period of playny, but as they joked just active, Gabe had a sense that they were the only ones having a good time. Everyone in the room expected to be frowning nearly slightlything. And over in the corner by the stale cookies, it sayinged like a girl was crying. Wasnt that Evie Hess? And an different girl, Ursula Tatum, withal had red eyes and smeared mascara. Maybe the symphony and the punch werent the only things about this prom that sucked. Clara and Bryan looked happy, but aside from those ii, Gabe and Logan-both recently humiliated and rejected-seemed to be enjoying themselves more than ever soyone else.Less perceptive than Gabe, Logan didnt register the negative zephyr until Libby and Dylan started arguing abruptly, Libby stalked off the saltation floor. That caught his attention at once.Logan shifted his weight, his eyes glued to Libbys departing figure. Hey, Gabe, do you mind if I ditch you?Not at all. Go for it.Logan nearly sprinted after her.Gabe wasnt sure what to do with himself now. Should he find Celeste and ask whether she mi nded if he bailed? He wasnt entirely comfor postpone with the idea of prying her blowsy from individual else in order to ask, though.He decided to get an another(prenominal) bottle of water and find the quietest corner possible to wait for the evening to draw and quarter to an end.And then, as he went sear liftg for that quiet corner, Gabe felt the extraneous pull again, stronger than hed ever felt it in his life it was like someone was drowning in downcast waters and screaming to him for help. He glanced just about frantically, wondering where the urgent call was coming from. He couldnt understand the vital, jagged edge of this distress. It was like nothing hed ever felt before.For just a moment, his eyes locked on one girl-on her back, as she was walking away from him. The girls whisker was low-spirited and glossy, with a mirrorlike sheen. She wore a salient(ip) floor-length come up the color of flames. As Gabe watched, her earrings flashed once, like little red sparkle rs.Gabe began walking after her in an almost unconscious movement, drawn by the wrenching need that surrounded her. She turned meagrely, and he got a glimpse of an unfamiliar pale, aquiline profile-full ivory lips and black slanting brows-before she ducked through the ladies room door.Gabe was breathing rocky with the lying-in of not following the girl into no-mans-land. He could expression her need sucking at him like quicksand. He leaned against the wall crossways from the bathroom, folded his arms tight across his chest, and tried to talk himself out of waiting for the girl. This lunatic instinct he had was way off base. Wasnt Celeste proof of that? It was all just imagination.Maybe he should withdraw from now. however Gabe couldnt force his feet to move one step away.Though the girl barely reached five foot three inches in her stiletto frankfurters, something about her figure-whip-slender and rod-straight as a fencing foil-made her appear tall.She was a walking contradict ion in more ways than height-both dark and light with her inky hair and chalky skin, both soft and hard with her tiny, sharp features, and both inviting and repellent with the mesmerizing undulations of her dust under the hostile expression on her casing.Only one thing about her was not ambiguous-her dress was, without question, a work of art B serious red tongues of leather flame bared her pale shoulders and licked down her willowy curves until they kissed the floor. As she crossed the dance floor, female eyes followed the pathway of the dress with envy and male eyes followed it with lust.There was another phenomenon that followed her as the girl in the fiery dress passed through the dancers, little gasps of horror and trouble oneself and embarrassment rippled out from near her in strange eddies that could only be coincidence. A high heel cracked, twisting the ankle inside it. A satin dress split along a seam from thigh to waist. A contact lens popped out and was befuddled on the dirty floor. A vital bra strap snapped in two. A wallet slipped from a pocket. An unexpected cramp announced an early period. A borrowed necklace scattered in a shower of pearls to the floor.And on and on-little disasters spinning small circles of misery.The pale dark girl smiled to herself as if she could somehow sense that misery in the air and enjoy it-taste it, perhaps, considering the way she licked her lips in appreciation.And then she frowned, furrowing her brow in fierce concentration. The one boy who was watching her face saw a strange red glitter near her earlobes, like shooting red sparks. Everyone else turned just then to stare at Brody Farrow, who clutched his arm and shouted in pain the slight movement of the slow dancing had dislocated his shoulder.The girl in the red dress smirked.With her heels ringing sharply against the tile floor, she strode down the hall to the ladies room. Faint moans of pain and chagrin trailed after her.A crowd of girls hovered in front of the wall-length mirrors inside the bathroom. They only had a moment to gape at the sensory dress, to notice how the slight girl inside it shivered briefly in the stuffy, too-warm room, before the chaos distracted them. It started with Emma Roland scenebing herself in the eye with a mascara wand. She flailed in dismay, strike the full glass of punch in Bethany Crandalls hand, which then drenched Bethany and stained three other dresses in the most inconvenient places. The atmosphere in the wash room was curtly hotter than the temperature as one girl-sporting a hideous green smear across her chest-accused Bethany of throwing the punch on her purposely.The pale dark girl only smiled slightly at the brewing booking, and then strode to the farthest stall in the long room and locked the door behind her.She did not make use of the privacy the way one might expect. Instead-showing no fear of the less-than-sterile environment-the girl leaned her forehead against the surface wall and squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands, balled into sharp little fists, also rested against the metal as if for support.If any of the girls in the ladies room had been paying attention, they might have wondered what was causing the red glow that shone dully through the crack between the door and the wall. however no one was paying attention.The girl in the red dress prehend her teeth tightly together. From between them, a hot spurt of magnificent flame shot out and singed black patterns into the thin layer of tan paint on the metal wall. She started to pant, struggling with an invisible weight, and the fire burned hotter, blockheaded fingers of red crackling against the cold metal. The fire reached up to her hair, but did not scorch the smooth, inky locks. Traces of smoke began to seep from her nose and ears.A shower of sparks popped from her ears as she whispered one word through her teeth.Melissa.Back out on the crowded dance floor, Melissa Harris looked up, distracted. Had someon e just called her name? There didnt seem to be anyone close enough to be responsible for the low sound. moreover her imagination, then. Melissa looked back at her date and tried to concentrate on what he was saying.Melissa wondered why she had agreed to go to the prom with Cooper Silverdale. He wasnt her type. A small boy, consumed with his own importance, with too much to prove. Hed been oddly hyper all night, boast about his family and his possessions nonstop, and Melissa was tired of it.Another faint whisper caught Melissas attention, and she turned.There, too far across the crowd to be the source behind the sound, Tyson Bell was thoroughgoing(a) straight at Melissa over the head of the girl he danced with. Melissa looked down at once, shuddering, trying not to care who he was with, forcing herself not to look.She moved closer to Cooper. Boring and sh digest, maybe, but better than Tyson. Anyone was better than Tyson.Really? Is Cooper sincerely the better option? The question s popped into Melissas theorys as if they came from someone else entirely. Involuntarily, she glanced up into Tysons intemperately lashed dark eyes. He was cool it staring.Of course Cooper was better than Tyson, no matter how beautiful Tyson was. That beauty was just part of the trap.Cooper babbled on, stumbling over his linguistic communication as he tried to capture Melissas interest.Youre out of Coopers league, the thought whispered. Melissa shook her head, embarrassed for sentiment that way. It was vain. Cooper was just as good as she was, as good as any other boy.Not as good as Tyson. Remember how it wasMelissa tried to keep the images out of her mind Tysons warm eyes, full of longing his hands, rough and soft against her skin his rich vowelize that made even the most common words sound like poetry the way just the lightest pressure of his lips against her fingers could send her pulse sprinting in her veinsHer heart thumped, aching.Deliberately, Melissa dredged up a new me mory to combat the freedom fighter images. Tysons iron fist smashing into the side of her face without warning-the black spots blossoming in front of her eyes-her hands bracing against the floor-vomit choking in her throat-raw pain move her whole body-He was sorry. So sorry. He promised. Never again. Un wishinged, the image of Tysons coffee eyes swimming with tears clouded her vision.Reflexively, Melissas eyes sought Tyson. He was still staring. His forehead creased, his eyebrows pulled together, grief-strickenMelissa shuddered again.Are you cold? Do you want my-? Cooper half-shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket and then stopped himself, his face flushing. You cant be cold. Its so hot in here, he said lamely as he withdrew the offer, buttoning the jacket back into place.Im fine, Melissa assured him. She forced herself to look only at his sallow, boyish face.This place kinda sucks, Cooper said, and Melissa nodded, happy to agree with him. We could go to my fathers country club. Theres an incredible restaurant, if youre in the mood for dessert. We wont have to wait for a t adapted. As soon as I mention my nameMelissas attention wandered again.Why am I here with this little snob? asked the thought that was so strangely unfamiliar in her head, though it came in her own voice. Hes a weakling. So what if he couldnt hurt a kitten? Isnt there more to love than safety? I dont feel the same need in my take over when I look at Cooper-when I look at anyone besides Tyson I cant lie to myself. I still want him. So much. Isnt that love, that wanting?Melissa wished she hadnt drunk so much of that vile, burning punch. It was impossible to think clearly.She watched as Tyson left his partner stranded and crossed the floor until he stood right in front of her-the perfect broad-shouldered football hero cliche. It was as if Cooper didnt exist there between them.Melissa? he asked in his melting voice, sorrow twisting his features. Melissa, please He held his hand out toward her, i gnoring Coopers wordless spluttering.Yes yes yes yes yes chanted in her head.A thousand memories of desire rocked through her. Her clouded mind buckled.Hesitantly, Melissa nodded.Tyson smiled in relief, in joy, and pulled her around Cooper and into his arms.It was just so easy to go with him. Melissas blood ran through her veins like fire.Prom Nights from Hell Chapter TwoThe mist of nothing slipped slowly from me in a painful serial publication of prickles and the sound of two people arguing. I felt sick, not from my entire back tingling so painfully I could hardly stand to breathe, but from the feeling of helpless fear that the low-keyed, back-and-forth voices pulled from my past. I could almost smell the moldy fluff of my stuffed rabbit as I had curled into a ball and listened to the two people who were my entire world frighten me beyond belief. That they had both told me it hadnt been my fault hadnt lessened my grief at all. Grief I had to hold inside until it became a part of m e. Pain that adhered to my bones. To cry in my mothers arms would say I loved her more. To cry into my dads shoulder would say I loved him best. It was a smelly way to grow up.But this this wasnt my parents arguing. It sounded like two kids.I took a breath to find it came easier. The last of the haze started to fade with the tingles, and my lungs moved, aching as if someone were sitting on them. Realizing my eyes were shut, I opened them to find a blurry black just before my nose. There was a heavy, plasticky smell.She was xvi when she got in that car. Its your fault, a young but masculine voice said hotly, oddly muffled. I was getting the distinct impression that the argument had been going on for some time, but I only remembered snatches of it amid uneasy thoughts of nothing.You are not going to ordain this on me, a girl said, her voice just as hushed and determined. She was seventeen when he flipped her coin. This is your screwup, not mine. God save you, she was right in front of you How could you miss it?I missed it because she wasnt seventeen he shot back. She was sixteen when he picked her up. How was I supposed to know he was after her? How come you werent there? You slipped up big time.The girl gasped in affront. I was cold. Taking a deeper breath, I felt a surge of strength. Fewer tingles, more aches. It was stuffy, my breath coming back warm to me. It wasnt dark I was in something.You little piss-ant the girl snapped. Dont tell me I slipped up. She died at seventeen. Thats why I wasnt there. I was never notified.But I dont do sixteen, he said, his voice going nasty. I thought he was flipping the boy.I suddenly realized the black blur throwing back my breath was a sheet of plastic. My hands came up, and my nails pushed through it in a stab of fear. Almost panicking, I sat up.Im on a table? It sure felt hard enough for one. I shoved the plastic off me. Two kids were standing(a) by a set of dirty whiten swinging doors, and they spun in surprise. The girls pale face went red, and the guy backed up as if embarrassed to have been caught arguing with her.Oh the girl said, tossing her long dark braid behind her. Youre up. Uh, hi. Im Lucy, and this is Barnabas.The guy dropped his eyes and waved sheepishly. Hey, he said. How you doing?You were with kid, I said, my finger shaking as I pointed, and he nodded, still not flavor at me. His costume looked odd next to her shorts and tank top. Both of them wore a black stone pendant around their necks. They were dull and insignificant, but my eye went to them because they were the only thing the two shared. Other than their anger at each other and their surprise at me.Where am I? I said, and Barnabas winced, a tall form scuffing his feet against the tile. Wheres Josh? I hesitated, realizing I was in a hospital, but Wait a minute. I was in a freaking body bag? Im in the morgue? I blurted. What am I doing in the morgue?Moving wildly, I got my legs out of the plastic bag and slid to the floor , heels clicking in some weird counterpoint as I caught my balance. There was a tag on a rubber band around my wrist, and I yanked it off, pickings some hair along with it. I had a long rip in my skirt, and heavy grease chumped it. Dirt and grass were plastered to me, and I stank of field and antiseptic. So much for getting my deposit back.Someone made a mistake, I said as I shoved the tag in a pocket, and Lucy snorted.Barnabas, she said, and he stiffened.This is not my fault he exclaimed, rounding on her. She was sixteen when she got in that car. I dont do sixteen How was I supposed to know it was her natal day?Yeah? Well, she was seventeen when she died, so it is your problemDead? Were they blind? You know what? I said, feeling more steady the longer I stood here. You two can argue till the sun goes nova, but I have to find someone and tell them Im okay. Heels clicking, I headed for the dirty white twin doors.Madison, wait, the guy said. You cant. fit me, I said. My dad is going to be so-o-o-o ticked.I strode past them, getting twenty feet before a feeling of disconnection hit me. Dizzy, I enjoin a hand to an empty table as the odd sensation roared from nowhere. My hand cramped where it rested, and I pulled it away as if burned when it seemed the coldness of metal had touched my bone. I felt spongy. Thin. The soft hum of the ventilation grew muffled. Even the pounding of my heart became distant. I turned, hand to my chest to try and make it feel normal again. WhatFrom across the room, Barnabas shrugged his thin shoulders. Youre dead, Madison. Sorry. You get too far from our amulets, and you start to lose substance.He gestured to the gurney, and I looked.My breath slammed out of me. Knees buckling, I half unload against the empty table. I was still there. I signify, I was still on the gurney. I was lying on the cart in a torn body bag, looking far too small and pale, my elaborate dress bunched up around me in an elegant display of forgotten grace out of time.I was dead? But I could feel my heart beat.Limbs going weak, I started to crumple.Swell. Shes a fainter, the girl said dryly.Barnabas lurched forward to catch me. His arms slid around me and my head lolled. At his touch, everything rushed back sounds, smells, and even my pulse. My lids fluttered. Inches from me, Barnabass lips pressed tight. He was so close, and I thought I could smell sunflowers.Why dont you shut up? he said to Lucy as he eased me to the floor. Show a little compassion? Thats your job, you know.The cold from the tile soaked into me, seeming to clear the gray about my sight. How could I be dead? Did the dead pass out? Im not dead, I said unsteadily, and Barnabas helped me sit up and put my back to a table leg.Yes, you are. He crouched beside me, his brown eyes wide and concerned. Sincere. Im really sorry. I thought he was going to flip Josh. They usually dont leave evidence like a car behind like that. You must really be a broken feather in their wing.My though ts flashed to the crash, and I put a hand to my stomach. Josh had been there. I remember that. He thinks Im dead. Josh, I mean.From across the room came Lucys caustic You are dead.I sent my gaze to the gurney, and Barnabas shifted to block my view. Who are you? I asked as the dizziness slipped away.Barnabas stood. We, ah, are Reconnaissance Error Acquisitions Personnel. Evaluation and Recovery.I thought about that. Reconnaissance Error Acquisitions R.E.A.P.E.R.?Holy crap A surge of epinephrin shot through me. I scrambled up, eyes fixed on me on the gurney. I was here. I was alive That might be me, but I was standing here, too. Youre grim reapers I exclaimed, feeling my way around the table and putting it between us. My toes started to go numb, and I stopped, my gaze darting to the amulet around Barnabass neck. Oh my God, Im dead, I whispered. I cant be dead. Im not ready to be dead. Im not done yet Im only seventeenWere not grim reapers. Lucy had her arms crossed defensively as if it were a sore spot. Were white reapers. Black reapers kill people before their coin should be flipped, white reapers try to save them, and grim reapers are treacherous betrayers who brag too much and wont survive to see the sun turn back to dust.Barnabas looked embarrassed as he shuffled his feet. Grim reapers are white reapers who were tricked into working for the other side. They dont do much culling since black reapers dont let them, but if there is a sudden, massive death toll, you know theyll show to pull a few souls early, in as dramatic a way as possible. Theyre hacks. No class at all.This last was said with a bitter voice, and I wondered at the rivalry, backing up until I started going spongy again. Eyeing their amulets, I edged forward until the feeling went away. You kill people. Thats what Seth said. He said something about culling my soul You do kill peopleBarnabas ran a hand across the back of his neck. Ah, we dont. Most of the time. He glanced at Lucy. Seth is a black reaper, a dark reaper. We only show up when they target someone out of time, or theres been a mistake.Mistake? My head swung up in hope. Did that mean they could put me back?Lucy came forward. You werent supposed to die, see. A dark reaper took you out before your coin should have been flipped. Its our job to stop them, but we cant erstwhile(prenominal)s. Were here to make a formal apology and get you where youre going. Frowning, she looked at Barnabas. And as soon as he admits it was his fault, I can get out of here.I stiffened, refusing to look at me on the gurney. Im not going anywhere. If you made a mistake, fine. right put me back Im right there. I took a step forward, scared out of my mind. You can, right?Barnabas winced. Its kinda too late. Everyone knows youre dead.I dont care I shouted. Then my face went cold in a sudden thought. dada. He thought I was Dad I whispered, panicking. Taking a breath, I turned to the swinging doors and broke into a run.Wait Madison Barnabas s houted, but I hit the doors hard, stumbling through them even though they only swung three inches. But I was in the next room. I had sort of passed through them. As if I werent even there.There was a fat guy at a desk, and he looked up at the tiny squeak the doors made shifting. His little piggy eyes widened, and he took a huge breath. Mouth open, he pointed.Theres been a mistake, I blurted, heading to the open archway and the dimly lit hall. Im not dead.But I was feeling really weird again. Misty and thin. Stretched. Nothing sounded right, either, and the gray was edging my sight to make a tunnel-like vision.Behind me, Barnabas pushed through the doors. Immediately the world shifted to normal. It was the amulet he wore that unploughed me unshakable. I had to get me one of those.Yes, she is, he said, never slowing down until he grabbed my wrist. Youre hallucinating. Shes not really here. Neither am I.Where did you come from? the guy managed, staring. How did you get in there?Lucy shoved in, the swinging door banging against the wall to make me and Desk Guy jump. Madison, quit being a stiff. You gotta go.This was too much for the technician, and he reached for the phone.I twisted my wrist, but Barnabas wouldnt release me. I have to talk to my dad I exclaimed, and he yanked me off balance.Were leaving, he said, a new threat in his eyes. Right now.Frantic, I stomped on his foot. Barnabas howled, his gangly form bending double as he let go. Lucy laughed at him, and I darted for the hallway. Try to stop me, I thought, then ran right into something big, warm, and smelling of silk. I backed up, becoming scared when I saw it was Seth. He had killed me with a sword that left no mark when driving me off a cliff failed to do it. He was a dark reaper. He was my death.Why are there two of you? he asked as he looked at Barnabas and Lucy. The cadence of his voice was familiar, but the sound of it hit my ears wrong. And the scent of sea now smelled like rot. Thats right, he added, pulling his gaze back to me, and I shuddered. You died on the anniversary of your birth. Two reapers. My, my, my. Such the drama queen, Madison. Im glad youre up. Its time to go.Hunched and afraid, I retreated. Dont touch me.Madison Barnabas shouted. occurBut there was only the morgue to run to. Lucy got in front of me, hands spread wide as if she could stop Seth with her will alone. What are you doing here? she said, voice shaking. Shes already dead. You cant flip her twice.Seth scuffed his shoes confidently. As you said, I flipped her coin. Shes mine if I want her.Barnabas paled. You never come back for them. Youre His eyes darted to the stone about Seths neck. Youre not a black reaper, are you?Seth grinned as if it was a big joke. No. Im not. Im a little bit more. More than you can handle. Leave, Barnabas. Just walk away. It wont hurt if you do.I stared at Barnabas, helpless. His brown eyes met mine, saw my fear. I watched him visibly gather his courage.Barnabas Lucy sh outed, terrified. DontBut Barnabas launched himself at the dark figure in black silk. In a motion so casual it was frightening, Seth turned to smack him with the back of his hand. Arms and legs flailing, Barnabas flew backward, hitting the wall and slumping to the floor, out cold.Run Lucy shouted, pushing me toward the morgue. Stay in the sun. Dont let the black wings touch you. Well get help. Someone will find you. Get out of hereHow? I exclaimed. Hes in front of the only door.Seth moved again, this time backhanding Lucy. She crumpled where she stood, leaving only me since the technician had either passed out or was hiding under the desk. lather trembling, I stood to my full height-such as it was-and tugged my dress straight. Deeper in it yet, apparently.She meant, Seth said, his voice both familiar and strange, to run through the walls. You had a better chance against the black wings in the sun than with me under the ground.But I cant I started, then looked at the swinging doors. I went through them, having shifted them open only a few inches. What the heck was I? A ghost?Seth smiled, chilling me. Nice to see you, Madison, now that I can really see you. He took off his mask and let it drop. His face was beautiful, like chiseled stone made soft.I licked my lips and went cold to the bone when I remembered him kissing me. Holding one arm to myself, I backed away, trying to get out of Barnabass and Lucys influence so I could run through the walls. Hey, if Mr. Creepy thought I could do it, then maybe I could.Seth followed, step for step. We leave together. No one will believe I culled you unless I throw you at their feet.Heels clicking, I kept moving. My gaze darted to Barnabas and Lucy, both still sprawled on the tile. Id rather stay, thanks. My heart pounded, and my back hit the wall. A little yelp slipped from me. I was far enough away from them that I should be misty, but I wasnt. I stared at Seth, then at that black stone about his neck. It was the same. Da mn itYou dont have a choice, he said. Im the one that killed you. Youre mine.He reached out, grabbing my wrist. Adrenaline surged, and I twisted.The hell I am, I said, then kicked him in the shins. He clearly felt it, grunting as he bent in pain, but didnt let go. He had put his face in my reach, though, and grabbing his hair, I slammed his nose against my rising knee. I felt cartilage snap, and my stomach turned.Cursing in a language that hurt my head, he let go and fell back.I had to get out of here. I had to be solid or Id never make it. Heart pounding, I grabbed the stone about his neck, pulling the necklace over his ears and off him. It tingled in my hand like fire, and I clenched my fingers around it, willing to suffer if it meant I would be whole.Seth hit the floor, gaping up at me with red blood covering his face. He looked as surprised as if he had run into a glass wall.Madison Barnabas rasped from the floor.I turned, seeing him stare at me with pain-laced, unfocused eyes.R un, he gasped.Seths amulet in my hand, I turned to the open hallway and I ran.Prom Nights from Hell Chapter TwoEIGHT HOURS EARLIERFoxy girls know that silence may be golden-but only for four chips. Anything longer and you re heading for Awkward Avenue, Miranda read, then frowned at the book. If you feel the countdown creeping, make him an offer A simple Would you like some nuts? said with a smile can break the silence stagnation in a snap. Remember, foxy is as foxy does.Miranda was starting to deeply distrust How to Get-And Kiss Your Guy.Leaning against the side of the black Town Car parked in the loading zone at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport that June evening, she thought of how totally thrilled shed been when shed found it at the bookstore. It looked like an and-they-all-lived-happily-ever-after dream come true in book form-who wouldnt want to learn The Five Facial Expressions That allow for Change Your Life or The Secrets of the Tongue Tantra Only Da Pros Know? but having done all the exercises, she wasnt convinced of the transformative powers of the Winsome Smile or spending half an hour a day sucking on a grape. It wasnt the first time a self-help book had let her down-Procrastinate No More and gain ground Friends with YOU had both been total disasters-but it was depressing because shed had such high hopes this time. And because, as her best friend, Kenzi, recently pointed out, any senior in high school who acted like Miranda did around her crush really, really needed help.She tried another passage. Rephrase one of his questions back to him, adding that hint of suggestion with a raised eyebrow. Or pick up the conversation with a pickup line You Are we in the china section? Him No, why? You Because you are fine. If china isnt your thing, this one never fails to launch-You Are you eating away space pants? Him No, why? You Because your butt is-Hello, Miss Kiss.Miranda looked up and found herself staring up at the cleft chin and tanned face of replacement Sergeant Caleb Reynolds.She must have been really distracted to not even have comprehend his heartbeat when he approached. It was distinctive, with a little echo at the end, kind of like a one-two-three cha-cha beat (shed learned about the cha-cha beat from You Can Dance another massively unfortunate self-help experience). Hed probably have trouble with that when he got old, but at twenty-two it didnt seem to be stopping him from going to the gym, at least from the looks of his pecs, biceps, shoulders, forearms, wrists-Stop staring.Since she had an attack of hazardous Mouth whenever she tried to talk to a clever guy-let alone Santa Barbaras youngest sheriffs deputy, who was only four years older than she and who surfed every morning before work and who was settle down enough to get away with gulling sunglasses even though it was almost 800 p.m.-she said, Hi, deputy. Come here often?Causing him to frown. No.No, you wouldnt, why would you? Me either. Well, not that often. Maybe once a week. Not often enough to know where the bathrooms are. Ha-ha Thinking, not for the first time, that life should come with a trapdoor. Just a little exit hatch you could disappear through when youd utterly and completely mortified yourself. Or when you had spontaneous zit eruptions.Good book? he asked, taking it from her and reading the subtitle, A Guide for Good Girls Who (Sometimes) Want to Be Bad out loud.But life did not come with a trapdoor.Its for a school project. Homework. On, um, mating rituals.Thought crime was more your thing. He hit her with one of his half smiles, too cool to pull out a big grin. You planning on foiling any more convenience store heists any time soon?That had been a mistake. Not stopping the guys whod held up Rons 24-Hour Open market 3, but sticking around long enough to let the police see her. For some reason theyd found it hard to believe that shed just been magnetic inclination against the lamppost when it fell across the front of the robbers car as it sped through the intersection. It was sad how suspicious people were, especially people in law enforcement. And school administration. But shed learned a lot since then.Im trying to keep it to one heist a month, she said, hoping for a light, ha-ha-Im-just-kidding-foxy-is-as-foxy-does tone. Today its just my regular job, VIP airport pickup. Miranda comprehend his cha-cha heartbeat speed up slightly. Maybe he thought VIPs were cool.That boarding school you go to, Chatsworth Academy? They let you off campus any time you want or only certain days?Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, if youre a senior. We dont have classes then, she said and heard his heartbeat pick up more.Wednesday and Saturday afternoons free. What do you do for variation?Was he asking her out? No. Way. NOWAYNOWAYNOWAY Flirt she ordered herself. Winsome Smile Say something Anything Be foxy NowWhat do you do for athletics? she repeated his question back to him, raising one eyebrow for that hi nt of suggestion.He seemed taken aback for a second, then said very formally, I work, Miss Kiss.Please clear a warm welcome to Miranda Kiss, our new Miss Idiot Girl of the year, she thought. Said Of course. Me too. I mean, Im either driving clients or at team practice. Im one of Tony Bosuns Bee Girls? The Roller Derby team? Thats why I do this, meaning to point to the Town Car but bashing it with her hand instead. You have to be a driver for Tonys company, 5Bs Luxury Transport, to be on the team. We usually only have games on the weekends, but we practice on Wednesdays, sometimes on other days Crazy Mouth trailed off.Ive seen the Bees play. Thats a professional team, isnt it? They let a high school student play?Miranda swallowed. Oh, sure. Of course.He looked at her over the top of his sunglasses.Okay, I had to lie to get on the team. Tony thinks Im twenty. You wont tell him, will you?He believed you were twenty?He needed a new jammer. representative Reynolds chuckled. So youre the jammer? Youre good. I can see why he might have made an exception. Eyeing her some more. I never would have recognized you.Well, you know, we wear those wigs and the gold masks over our eyes so we all look the same. It was one of the things she liked about Roller Derby, the anonymity, the fact that no one knew who you were, what your skills were. It made her feel invulnerable, safe. No one could single you out for anything.Deputy Reynolds took his sunglasses all the way off now to look at her. So you put on one of those red, white, and blue satin outfits? The ones with the short skirts and that cute cape? Id like to see that sometime.He smiled at her, right into her eyes, and her knees went weak and her mind started playing out a scenario involving him without his shirt but with a pitcher of maple syrup and a big-Well, theres my lady, he said. Catch you. And then walked away. stack of pancakes. Miranda watched him go up to a woman in her early twenties-thick blond hair, thin but m uscular-put his arm around her, and kiss her neck. The kind of woman whose bras had tags that said, SIZE 36c, not MADE BY SANRIO in them. hear him saying excitedly, Wait until we get to the house. Ive got some amazing new toys, something special just for you, his voice husky, heart racing.As he passed Miranda, he lifted his chin in her direction and said, You stay out of trouble.Yeah, you too, Crazy Mouth told him. Miranda wanted to bang her head against the top of the car at how idiotic she was. She tried to give a Lite Laff (expression number four from the book) but ended up making herself choke instead.When they were across the parking lot, she heard the woman asking who she was and heard Deputy Reynolds say, The local Town Car driver.Shes the driver? the woman said. Looks like one of those girls from Hawaiian Airlines you used to date, but younger. And cuter. You know how your judgment gets around cute young girls. Youre sure I dont need to be concerned?Miranda heard him laugh, the genuine amusement in his voice as he said, Her? Baby, shes just a high school student who has a crush on me. Trust me, youve got nothing to worry about.And thought Trap. Door. Now. Please.Sometimes having superhearing supersucked.Prom Nights from Hell Chapter TwoAnd he wants me to know that hes coming. Hes playing with me now just like his father played with Mom, before he well, did what he did to her.Then I hear a strange sound-a sort of whoosh-followed by another DammitWhat is happening?Sebastian. Lilas voice sounds bemused. Someone is shooting catsup at youWhat? Did she just say ketchup?.And then, as I carefully turn to try to get a look past the pillar to see what Lila is talking about, I see him.Not Sebastian. His shooter.And I can hardly believe my eyes.Whats he doing here?AdamIts all Teds fault. Hes the one who said we should follow them on their date.I was like, Why? Cause the dudes trouble, man, Ted said.Except theres no way Ted could have known that. Drake had basica lly turned up from out of nowhere outside Lilas Park Avenue apartment building just the night before. Ted had never even met him. How could he know anything about the guy? Anything at all?But when I mentioned this, Ted said, Dude, have you looked at him?I have to admit, the T homosexual has a point. I mean, the guy looks like he walked straight out of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog or something. You cant trust a guy whos that, well, perfect.Still, Im not down with following other guys around. Its not cool. Even if, like Ted said, it was just to make sure Lila didnt get into trouble. I know Lila is Teds lady-ex-lady now, thanks to Drake.And okay, shes never been the shiniest fork in the drawer.But following her on this date with the dude shes hooked up with? That just seemed like a bigger waste of time than-well, that two thousand-word, double-spaced essay Ive got due in Mrs. Gregorys U.S. History class on Monday.Then Ted had to go and suggest I bring the Beretta 9mm.The thing is, even though its just a water pistol, toy guns that look as real as that are illegal in Manhattan.So I havent really had an opportunity to use mine much. Which Ted knows.And is probably why he kept going on about how freaking hilarious it would be if we soaked the guy. Because he knew I wouldnt be able to resist.The ketchup was my idea.And, yeah, it is pretty juvenile.But what the hell else am I going to do on a Friday night? It beats a U.S. History paper.Anyway, I told the T Man I guessed Id be down with his plan. So long as I was the one who got to do the shooting. Which was fine with Ted.I just gotta know, man, hed said, shaking his head.Know what?What this Sebastian dudes got, he said, that I dont.I couldve told him, of course. I mean, its pretty obvious to anyone who freaking looks at Drake what hes got that Ted doesnt. Teds a decent-looking guy and all, but Abercrombie material he is not. Still, I didnt say anything. Because the T Man was really hurtin over this one. And I coul d sort of understand why. Lilas just one of those girls, you know? All big brown eyes and big, well, other parts, too.But I wont go there on account of my sister, Veronica, who says I need to stop thinking of women as sex objects and start thinking of them as future partners in the inevitable struggle to survive in postapocalyptic America (which Veronicas writing her senior thesis on because she feels the apocalypse is going to occur sometime in the next decade, due to the countrys current state of religious fanaticism and environmental recklessness, both of which were present at the fall of Rome and various other societies that no longer exist).So thats how me and the T Man ended up at Swig-fortunately, Teds uncle Vinnie is their liquor distributor, which is how we got in, and without having to go through the metal detector like everybody else-shooting ketchup at Sebastian Drake with my Beretta 9mm water pistol. I know I was supposed to be home doing that paper for Mrs. Gregory, bu t a guys got to have some fun, right?And it was fun to see those red stains spurting all over the guys chest. The T Man was actually laughing for the first time since Lila sent him that text message during lunch, congress him that he was on his own for the prom, because she was going with Drake.Everything was going great until I saw Drake staring at that pillar over to one side of the dance floor. Which didnt make any sense. Youd have thought hed have been looking over at us, in our VIP booth (thanks, Uncle Vinnie), considering thats the direction the ketchup assault was coming from.Thats when I noticed there was somebody hiding behind it. The pillar, I mean.Not just any somebody, either, but Mary, that new girl from my U.S. History class, the one who never talks to anybody but Lila.And she was holding a crossbow.A crossbow.How the hell did she get a crossbow through the metal detector? No way does she know Teds uncle Vinnie.Not that it matters. All that matters is that Drakes star ing at the pillar Marys crouched behind like he can see straight through it. Theres something about the way hes looking over at her that makes me well, all I know is that is not where I want that guy looking.Moron, I mutter. Mostly about Drake. But also about myself, a little. And then I aim and shoot once more.Oh, snap, Ted yells happily. Did you see that? Right in the assThat gets Drakes attention, all right. He turns and suddenly, I get what they mean about blazing eyes. You know, in Stephen King books, or whatever? I never thought Id actually see a pair.But thats exactly what Drakes got, as he stares at us. Eyes that are most definitely blazing.Come on, I find myself thinking in Drakes direction. Thats right. Come on over here, Drake. You wanna fight? Ive got a lot more than just ketchup, dude.Which isnt exactly true. But it doesnt end up mattering, because Drake doesnt come over anyway.Instead, he disappears.I dont mean that he turns around and leaves the club.I mean that one m inute hes standing there, and the next hes well, hes just gone. For a second the fog from the dry ice seems to get thicker-and when it clears, Lila is dancing by herself.Here, I say, thrusting the Beretta into Teds hand.What the- Ted scans the dance floor. Whered he go?But Ive already taken off.Grab Lila, I yell back at Ted. And meet me out front.Ted utters some pretty choice expletives after that, but no one even notices. The musics too loud, and everyones having too good a time. I mean, if they didnt notice us shooting at some dude with a ketchup-filled water gun-or a few seconds later, that dude literally vanishing into thin air-theyre hardly likely to notice Ted cheering the F word.I reach the pillar and look down.Shes there, panting as if shes just run a marathon or something. Shes got the crossbow clutched to her chest like a kids security blanket. Her face is as white as notebook paper.Hey, I say to her, gently. I dont want to startle her.But I do anyway. She lots jumps out of her skin at the sound of my voice and turns wide, frightened eyes up at me.Hey, take it easy, I say. Hes gone. Okay?Hes gone? Her eyes-green as the outstanding Lawn in Central Park in May-stare up at me. And theres no missing the terror in them. How-what?He just vanished, I say with a shrug. I saw him looking at you. So I shot him.You what?Prom Nights from Hell Chapter TwoGee, thanks, Madame Z, I thought. Could we dig a little deeper here? Give me something to work with?But is he-I mean, the person-going to act on his passion? I was brazen, despite my knotted stomach.To act or not to act that is the question? Madame Z said.Yes, that is the question.Ahhh. That is always the question. And what one must always ask oneself- She broke off. Her eyes flew to pass on, and she paled.What? I demanded.Nothing, she said.Something, I said. Her message-from-the-spirits performance wasnt fooling me. She wanted us to think shed been suddenly possessed? That shed had a stark and powerful vision ? Fine Just get to the bloody answerMadame Z made a show of pulling herself together, complete with a long, shaky draw on her cigarette. Looking dead at me, she said, If a tree falls in a forest, and no ones there to hear it, does it still make a sound?Huh? I said.Thats all Ive got. Take it or leave it. She seemed agitated, so I took it. Although I made slit eyes at Yun solarise when Madame Z wasnt watching.Will claimed not to have a specific question, but Madame Z was oddly insistent on relaying a message to him anyhow. She waved her hands over his aura and warned him sternly of heights, which was curiously appropriate as Will was an avid rock climber. What was more curious was Wills reaction. First his eyebrows shot up, and then a different emotion took over, like some secret anticipatory pleasure. He glanced at me and blushed.Whats going on? I asked. You have your underarm face on.Exsqueeze me? he said.What are you not telling us, Will Goodman?Nothing, I swearDont be stupid, bo y Madame Z harped. Listen to what Im saying.Oh, you dont have to worry about him, I said. Hes a total Mr. Safety. I turned back to Will. For real. Do you have a fabulous new climbing spot? A spic-and-span shiny carabiner?Its Yun Suns turn, Will said. Yun Sun, go.Can you read palms? Yun Sun asked Madame Z.Madame Z exhaled, and she was barely engaged as she traced her finger over the plump pad to a lower place Yun Suns thumb. You will be as beautiful as you allow yourself to be, she told her. That was it. Those were her pearls of wisdom.Yun Sun seemed as underwhelmed as I was, and I felt like protesting on all our behalves. I mean, seriously A tree in the forest? Be careful of heights? You will be as beautiful as you allow yourself to be? Even with her somewhat convincing touches of atmospheric creepiness, the three of us were getting cheated. Me in particular.But before I could say anything, a cell phone on the desk rang. Madame Z picked it up and used a long orange nail to punch the talk button.Madame Zanzibar, at your service, she said. Her expression changed as she listened to whoever was on the other end. She grew brisk and annoyed. No, Silas. Its called a yes, you can say it, a yeast infection. Yeast infection.Yun Sun and I shared a glance of horror, although-I couldnt help it-I was also delighted. Not that Madame Z had a yeast infection. I mean, ick. But that she was discussing it with Silas, whoever he was, while all of us listened in. Now we were getting our moneys worth.Tell the pharmacist its the second time this month, Madame Z groused. I need something stronger. What? For the itching, you idiot Unless he wants to scratch it for me She twisted on her swivel chair, pumping one Juicy Coutured leg over the other.Will looked up at me, his brown eyes wide with alarm. I will not be scratching it for her, he stage-whispered. I refuseI laughed, thinking it a good sign that he was showing off for me. The Madame Z experience hadnt gone as intended, but who knew? Maybe it would end up having the sought after effect after all.Madame Z pointed at me with the lit end of her cigarette, and I ducked my chin contritely, like Sorry, sorry. To distract myself, I focused on the strange and vary clutter on her shelves. A book called Magic of the Ordinary and another titled What to Do When the Dead Speak-But You Dont Want to Listen. I nudged Will with my knee and pointed. He mimed choking the poor deceased bastard, and I snortled.Above the books I saw a bottle of rat poison, an old-fashioned monocle, a jar of what looked like fingernail clippings, a stained Starbucks cup, and a rabbits foot, claws attached. And on the shelf above that was oh, lovely.Is that a skull? I asked Will. Will whistled. Holy cannoli.Okey-doke, Yun Sun said, averting her eyes. If there really is a skull, I dont want to know about it. Can we leave now?I took her head in my hands and pointed her in the right direction. Look. It still has hairMadame Z snapped her cell phone shut. Fools, every one of them, she said. Her pallor was gone apparently talking to Silas had shaken her out of her funk.Ahh I see you found FernandoIs that whose skull that is? I asked. Fernandos?Oh God, Yun Sun moaned.Wormed his way to the surface after a gully washer, out in Chapel Hill Cemetery, Madame Z told us. His coffin, that is. Crappy wooden thing, musta been from the early nineteen hundreds. No one left to care for him, so I took pity on him and brought him here.You opened the coffin? I said.Yep. She seemed proud. I wondered if shed worn her Juicy Couture during the grave robbing.Thats gross that it still has hair, I said.He still has hair, Madame Z said. Show some respect.I didnt know dead bodies had hair, thats all.Skin, no, Madame Z said. Skin starts to rot right away, and believe me, you dont want to smell it when it goes. But hair? Sometimes it keeps growing for weeks after the deceased has made his crossing.Wowzers. I reached down and tousled Wills honey-colored cu rls. Hear that, Will? Sometimes the hair keeps growing.Amazing, he said.What about that? Yun Sun asked, pointing to a clear Tupperware container in which something reddish and organlike floated in clear liquid. Please tell me it didnt come from Fernando, too. Please.Madame Z waved her hand, like Dont be ridiculous. Thats my uterus. Had the doc give it to me after my hysterectomy.Your uterus? Yun Sun looked ill.Im going to let em toss it in the incinerator? Madame Z said. Fat chanceAnd that? I pointed to a ball of dried-up something on the highest shelf. This show-and-tell was proving far more enjoyable than our actual readings.Madame Z followed my gaze. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Thats nothing, she said firmly, although I noticed she had a hard time tearing her eyes from it. Now. Are we done here?Come on. I made praying hands. Tell us what it is.You dont want to know, she said.I do, I said.I dont, Yun Sun said.Yes, she does, I said. And so does Will. Right, Will?It cant be worse than the uterus, he said.Madame Z pressed her lips together.Please? I begged.She muttered something under her breath about idiot teenagers and how she refused to take the blame, whatever came of it. Then she stood up, pawing the top shelf. Her bosom didnt jiggle, but stayed firm and rigid beneath her top. She retrieved the clump and placed it in front of us.Oh, I breathed. A corsage. Brittle rosebuds, their edges brown and papery. Sprigs of graying babys breath, so desiccated that puffs of fiber dusted the table. A limp red ribbon holding it all together.A peasant woman in France put a spell on it, Madame Z said in a tone that was hard to decipher. It was as if she were compelled to speak the words, even though she didnt want to. Or, no. More like she did want to but was struggling to resist. She wanted to show that true love is guided by fate, and that anyone who tries to interfere does so at her own peril.She moved to return the corsage.