Cold environments may be developed Essay

Cold environments may be developed in a sustainable manner. To what extent do you agree with this statement? I disagree with this statement more than I agree with it. Cold environments in the world that were previously wilderness areas have undergone development, and nearly all of them have proved to be unsustainable. In the alpine areas, the mountains are a major magnet because of the scenery and the wide variety of winter sports that can take place there. The Alps have been developed as a tourist area. Although tourism benefits the area economically, it is socially and environmentally unsustainable. Tradition and culture has been eroded away because many young people now go down the mountains into urban areas in search of jobs. Even though the tourist industry has encouraged many young farmers to diversify out of rural and primary activities, many people still leave. Aside from that, the tourist industry brings with it unwanted pollution and litter and also causes footpath erosion. The tourist industry is also a potential hazard to the mountains and villages because the winter sports activities taking place there may cause avalanches. In the tundra or arctic regions, development has not been sustainable either, also both environmentally and socially. Gold, and particularly oil exploration and exploitation have scarred the fragile landscape. In 1968, the Trans-Alaskan pipeline was built from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. Not only were there leakage problems of the oil pipeline associated with earthquakes and permafrost, but it also interfered with the migration of caribou on land and salmon in the rivers. Aside from that, in the 1989, there was the problem of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, which polluted the ocean and killed hundreds of birds and marine wildlife. Oil exploration and the invasion of the Europeans into Inuit territory were also socially unsustainable. The traditional way of life was lost as many Inuits were forced to live the ‘white’ way and many Inuit children were taken from their parents and educated in missionary schools. Their traditional ways of hunting were also lost due to severe regulations on gun control and the introduction of currency into their simple economy. The latter was also the cause of excessive and unsustainable sealing and hunting in the tundra and arctic lands. Although the areas around the Southern Ocean have not been developed, vast quantities of natural fish, seal and whale resources have been taken out. On South Orkney Island, seals were completely depleted by 1800. Whaling began in the 1840s but was unsustainable as well, and ended in 1965 because stocks were exhausted. Fish stocks such as cod and krill have also become severely depleted in recent years. Although institutes such as the International Whaling Convention, the Marine Resources Institute and the CCAMLR were set up, illegal fishing and whaling have led to the depletion of natural resources. In Grytviken and Stromness, abandoned buildings have become an eyesore because they were not cleared away. Attempts at developing Antarctica have been made, mainly in the form of tourism. This is the only cold environment development that can be said to be sustainable. Strict IAATO guidelines on tourist behaviour, controlled numbers of tourists and the harsh climate of Antarctica have made the area difficult to develop. Scientific and research stations, although few, have contributed to waste generated in the area, along with footpath erosion. Most of the waste is shipped to the UK for processing, but what remains cannot decompose easily in the cold climate. Due to efforts of the Antarctic Treaty ratified in 1991 and much pressure from the environmental groups however, the Antarctic region has largely remained untouched. Where development takes place, it cannot be said to be sustainable, because changes have to be made to the area to accommodate people and people contribute to environmental degradation at the very least, even if great care is taken not to disturb or disrupt natural environments. The development of cold environments is mainly unsustainable, although tourism in Antarctica seems to be otherwise. Who knows, however, whether it will remain sustainable in the future because of increased tourism, or because of better technology to fuel mass tourism.

Roll of thunder hear my cry

Tailor's novel shows how racism and injustice continues even after when black slavery was ended as it is an unfortunate part of America's history. Cassia experiences racism and injustice in the store at Strawberry since she was treated unfairly since she had to give priority to white people in the queue Just because of the color of her skin. In this essay, it will contain how racism and injustice Is shown when Cassia was at the store, how It affects the reader and the Intentions of the author In this passage.Racial discrimination Is when you are showing abusive behavior towards members of another race, In this case It Is Mr.. Barnett discriminating Cassia. Injustice Is shown throughout the passage as white people were superior to black people as they were segregated by the Jim Crow Laws which gave white people more power over black people. In the passage, Mildred D Taylor shows that racial discrimination still existed during the Great Depression as Cassia was racially abused. For exa mple, â€Å"Whose little Ruggeri Is this! This reveals that Mr.. Barnett Is a racist person as he Is purposely calling classes a â€Å"Ruggeri† which Is offensive to black people. The writers intention to use the word â€Å"Niger† was to show that it was an alternative word to call a black person and how it was used frequently during the Great Depression and the slavery times towards black people. This makes the reader understand the word â€Å"nighÐ’Â « was a word used every day and offensively towards black people during the Great Depression.It was also so common that white people felt it was alright to say â€Å"inning towards a black person since there was no consequences for saying a racist word as black people were inferior. However, even Hough the word â€Å"Niger made Cassia angry since she doesn't understand that white people were superior during the Great Depression but Stacey seems to understand and had to accept this as he is older than Cassia so th erefore, he has experienced more things such as this event but inside him, he retains his anger as he knows the consequences.This creates an effect on the reader as he/she would think this is vile and disgusting so therefore, since Cassia loves making revenge plans, the reader would be eager meaning that he/she will continue reading to find out more. This elapse the reader to understand that even after when black slavery was ended, black people were still continuously discriminated with the word â€Å"Niger† as the Jim Crow Laws kept white people superior to black people. Mildred D Taylor also shows that Injustice still existed during the Great Depression as black people were not allowed to question/speak up for themselves.For example â€Å"This gal your, Hazel? ‘ ‘No sun,' answered the women meekly, stepping hastily away to show she had nothing to do with me†. This shows that black people wasn't allowed to speak up for themselves because of the UK Klux Kla n as they threatened black people. The Jim Crow Laws allowed white people to gain superiority over black people so therefore; If a white person killing a black person, the white person will not be charged meaning that Injustice existed even when slavery was finished so black people lived In fear as Hazel was â€Å"stepping hastily away to show she had nothing to do with† Classes.The writer's Intention was to show that black people wasn't allowed to speak up for themselves so therefore, they still didn't have freedom even after slavery was ended people. This helps the reader to understand that during the Great Depression, black people were muzzled by white people because there was a lot of injustice and racism towards black people which made black people inferior. In the passage, black people were not allowed to touch white people which made black people inferior. For example, â€Å"and tugged on his shirt sleeve to get his attention.He recoiled as if I struck him†. Thi s shows that some white people like Mr.. Barnett didn't like to be touched by black people because he thinks that they are dirty and disgusting as he â€Å"recoiled† when Cassia tried to get his attention. From this, the writer's intention is to show that white people didn't like being in contact with black people as they think they are too superior to them during the Great Depression. The writer also showed that black people was viewed as dirty people so therefore, white people didn't allow black people to touch them.This helps the reader to understand that not only black people was discriminated but they wasn't allowed to touch white people which means they didn't have freedom as they couldn't touch white people and they were treated like filth. The writer also intended too â€Å"recoiled as if I struck him†. This creates an effect n the reader as it gives a better imagery of how Mr.. Barnett reacted when Cassia tried to get his attention. If a black person touched a white person then the black person would be punished and would probably be lynched Just because he touched a white person.This is similar to Emmett Till's case but instead he said â€Å"Bye, baby' to a white female as he was leaving a store but then he was tortured and murdered because of what he said. This shows that black people had no freedom as they could only do certain things towards a white person but instead white people would be able to do anything to them. In the passage, Mildred D Taylor shows that racial discrimination and injustice continued during the Great Depression as black people were treated unfairly. In this case, Mr.. Barnett treated Cassia as an inferior person so he told Cassia to get her â€Å"little black self back over there and wait some more†.This reveals that black people had to be served last in a queue which shows that black people were treated unfairly during the Great Depression as Cassia was forced to wait longer even though she waited for a while. Mr.. Barnett also shows no respect towards black people as he said â€Å"little black self†. The writer's intention is to show that black people was racially discriminated in a shop as they were treated unfairly and had to wait until all the white people was served during the Great Depression.This helps the reader to understand that even black children was racially discriminated during the Great Depression as Cassia had to wait longer until all white people was served but Cassia understands that adults â€Å"ruled things and there was nothing that could be don't about them. † This reveals that Cassia understands things about adults but doesn't understand why white people are superior to white people and also made Cassia upset as she was being so kind to Mr.. Barnett but Mr.. Barnett responded rudely.In conclusion, this passage helps the reader in many ways to understand the theme of racism and injustice such as understanding how life was like being a black per son during the Great Depression, how unfair it was and how they lived in fear such as when Cassia was racially abused by Mr.. Barnett. Injustice and racism is shown throughout the passage as Mr.. Barnett racially discriminates Cassia. The passage also helps the reader to understand the theme of racism and as when Hazel was scared and had to be silenced by Mr.. Barnett.

European Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

European Law - Essay Example "It can, and frequently is, argued that the Court has emerged as the most dynamic and purposeful of all Community institutions in furtherance of the idea of European integration,"3 observes Ian Ward, an expert in European law. Another scholar claims that by establishing several legal doctrines and setting important legal precedents in a series of preliminary rulings, the ECJ has essentially 'constitutionised' the EC laws and successfully laid "the [legal] foundation for a federal Europe."4 According to Kwan, today the ECJ "stands at the pinnacle of [the European] Community legal order with its rights to judicial review and to sanction European states for non-compliance with EU laws." 5 The present research is an attempt to understand the constitutional nature of the European Union and the role and significance of European law and the ECJ in establishing a legal order among member states and facilitating the legal integration of the European Union, thereby strengthening the politico-e conomic integration. While many political theories - ranging from functionalism, neo-functionalism, neo-realism and neo-rationalism- have been applied in explaining the different phases of the integration process,6 the first significant step towards European integration can be traced back to the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) Treaty of 1951, for the establishment of a common market in coal and steel products. A Court of Justice, which was created as part of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) agreements for adjudicating disputes and observing compliance by the member states, has over the years transformed into the "supranational" and powerful European Court of Justice.7 The 1957 Treaty of Rome was the next significant step towards integration, when the ECSC was expanded to form the European Economic Community (EEC), later called the European Community (EC), constituting five key community institutions - the European Commission, the Council of Ministers, the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice.8 The establishment of EC represented a further step in economic integration by providing for the free movement of services, capital and labour in addition to the free movement of goods; however, for many political and economic reasons the 'single market' programme became effective only by 1992.9 Nonetheless, the jurisdiction and mandate of the ECJ was expanded by the 1957 Treaty - the ECJ was granted the right to judicial review, empowering the Court to hear cases raised by national governments or EC institutions regarding the validity of the EC laws. The national courts, which alone had access to the EC legal system cou ld seek clarification from the ECJ, through a preliminary ruling procedure, in interpreting the meanings of EC laws in relation to the cases decided by them.10 While the Single European Act of 1986 provided an impetus to integration, the Maastricht Treaty of 1992 creating the European Union was perhaps the most significant step, facilitating economic, political and legal integration of the member states.

The Viability of Primary and Secondary Qualities Essay

The Viability of Primary and Secondary Qualities - Essay Example The essence of the philosophical debate, therefore, centered on Berkeley’s refusal to believe that reality consisted of abstractions that could be separated from a material object. In order to explore this debate in more depth, this essay will examine Berkeley’s critique of Locke regarding the viability of primary and secondary qualities. As a preliminary matter, for Berkeley, the proffered distinction between primary and secondary qualities, an integral theoretical concept underpinning John Locke’s notion of Abstract Ideas, was an issue of fundamental importance. Our knowledge of the world around us, in Berkeley’s view, was dependent on the viability of this distinction. Berkeley’s ultimate rejection of this distinction, and the theory of Abstract Ideas was bold; Locke, after all, was not the first philosopher to believe in the validity of the distinction. Indeed, Berkeley challenged some of the greatest thinkers as the distinction had also been em braced by such luminaries as Descartes, Newton, and Galileo. A brief presentation of Locke’s approach to primary and secondary qualities is necessary because it highlights the bases of Berkeley’s attacks and because Locke’s work served as the authoritative statement of the viability of the distinction between primary and secondary qualities.... He also pointed out the epistemological problems which, he asserted, rendered Locke's distinction nothing more than speculation. Locke, in Berkeley's view, was hardly an empiricist. Berkeley could simply not accept Locke's assertion that an underlying quality could be separated from the mind. Locke stated, by contrast, that a quality was a power that was capable of producing an idea in our mind. This definition was significant because it separated the quality from our mind; more particularly, Locke established a causal relationship in which a quality inherent in an object caused us to have an idea about that object. Berkeley, because he rejected the separation, also rejected the notion of causation. Berkeley's strongest criticisms, however, derived from Locke's attempt to divide a quality into two specific types. This criticism dealt with Locke's attempts to draw a distinction between what he termed primary qualities and secondary qualities. Locke characterised primary qualities as being inseparable from the object being observed. Everything had fundamental properties. These fundamental properties were constant. Locke viewed solids, extensions, figures, motion or rest, and number as primary qualities; Berkeley, for the reasons mentioned below, argued and demonstrated that these primary qualities did not exist. The denial of these primary qualities served as the basis for his rejection of the notion of abstraction of ideas. Berkeley stated that these qualities were illusory and therefore could not produce in us ideas about the object being observed. Ideas were ideas and nothing more. Nor did Berkeley accept the premise that a

Exploring Human Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Exploring Human Services - Essay Example Apart from drug abuse, alcohol abuse and tobacco abuse also come under the label of substance abuse. Substance abuse is increasing day by day all over the world because of increasing stress levels at family, society and workplace. The current generation is tied up with so many commitments and responsibilities at family, society and workplace and it is difficult for them to fulfill all the commitments. The failure or pressure to fulfill the commitments increases the stress levels of an average person which finally lead him towards substances like alcohol, drug or tobacco in order to get at least some temporary relaxation. â€Å"Abused substances produce some form of intoxication that alters judgment, perception, attention, or physical control. The 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse estimated the number of users of illicit drugs in the United States to be about 13 million. In addition, the survey estimated that 10% of Americans abuse or are dependent on alcohol, and 25% of Americans smoke cigarettes† (Substance Abuse Overview). This paper briefly explains the substan ce abuse through the perspectives of human services in New York City. Substance abuse can be prevented with the combined effort of family, school, community, individual and peer. If either one component of the above mentioned domains neglect the substance abuse issue, the prevention would be much more difficult. The persons who are already addicted to substance abuse must be given proper treatment and at the same time prevention also should be given priority. Substance abuse can cause problems not only to the person who is addicted, but even for the relatives or other family members as well. For example, an alcohol or drug addicted pregnant woman can cause severe damages to the physical and mental development of the fetus. Moreover, substance abusive behavior of either of the parents can cause lot of damages to the children irrespective of their age or sex. So the

The Developing Child Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

The Developing Child - Essay Example An understanding of a child’s development is significant since it gives an insight into the cognitive, bodily, emotional, social, and educative development that a child undergoes. The major theories attempt to describe every aspect of development using models. The theory shares a school of thought that children are born with a hereditary aptitude to learn any human language. He further maintains that particular linguistic configurations, which children use so perfectly, are already embossed on the child’s intellect (Socha, 2010). Child A understands the use of different objects that he is familiar with. He even uses sound effects for his car during their play with Child B, mainly because he understood the particular configuration of a car including the sound it makes when in motion. It was evident that Child A went ahead to add two big pieces to his model and alerted Child B about his new model, the airplane. Clearly, Child A is so accurate in his design and uses previous experience to affirm his involvement. Secondly, Chomsky’s theory explains that there exists a language acquisition device or LAD in every child’s brain, which is responsible for encoding the major principles of a language, and its grammatical structures. Every child uses LAD to form simple sentences during a conversation (Saxton, 2014). In the context, it is evident that Child A can use simple sentences when speaking, and does use link words in his sentences. The ability to use simple sentences confirms that the child is already aware of the basic sentence construction, and therefore, uses it to instruct Child B to run away from the monsters. This confirms the child’s grammatical understanding. Thirdly, Chomsky informs that a child doesn’t probably learn a language through mimic only, because the language that people around them speak is extremely lopsided.

Position paper of a debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Position paper of a debate - Essay Example The annual expenditure for childhood obesity is approximately $ 100 billion (Bandini & Dietz 648). Studies have shown that when a child is obese at the age of between 10 year and 13 years, there is more than 80 percent chance of becoming obese when he or she grows to adulthood. But with exercise, proper nutrition, and support, such obese children can lose weight and live a healthy life marked by healthier habits (Anderson 461). There is need for parents to explore ways of dealing with obesity and help their obese children lose weight. Parents should take advantage of all the opportunities to raise the children’s self esteem. They should not feel ashamed to come up with a health fitness topic. This should be sensitively done so as not to make the obese child view it as an insult. Parents should talk to their obese children openly, directly and without being judgmental or critical (Ball et al. 20). It is important for parents to be sensitive to their children’s feelings and needs. Becoming active is a key lifestyle change that an obese child should undertake. They should be given support and guidance by their parents on the best and comfortable physical activities to engage in. The efforts made by these children towards reducing their weight should constantly be praised (Arslanian & Suprasongsin 157). Celebrating any incremental changes and not rewarding the efforts with food is very important for the parents. Parents should further take an initiative of talking to these children about their feelings. This helps them to find means of dealing with their emotions that do not entail eating. By doing so, the child will be able to focus on the positive goals such as running the necessary number of rounds in a gym class as a way of losing the excess weight (Adiar &Gordon 644). Transitioning a child by parents from an obese condition to a state of a well balanced weight should not be taken to be as

Guildford Site Development Appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Guildford Site Development Appraisal - Essay Example Considering that the scheme is not fully pre-let, a higher rent is obtainable so long as it remains competitive. Under this scheme, the difference between the Developer’s fee and the minimum rent going to the fund is split between them at share percentage agreed early on. If the two parties opted for tranches of rent, then computation would proceed as in the following section. The use of mortgages is widely used in the industry for long-term funding. What the developer can offer as security is the first constructed building. Mortgages serve as a source for capital for the next phase construction and can also be used to pay accrued interests. A forward sale is when a party agrees to purchase part or the whole of the development after it is completed. Payment occurs at an agreed scheme but a part of it is usually paid beforehand. The money from the sale can serve as the capital for the succeeding phases of the development. The Local Authority may have the necessary funds to build the proposed development. This may work for the developer as he no longer needs to expose himself to risks of interest rates and pressure from repayment schedule. However, it is highly unlikely that the Local Authority would concentrate such a larger amount of their budget to the venture. Profit erosion with priority yield is a convenient way to finance the development project. However, the developer should determine whether he will avail of short-term, long-term or a combination. With the right choice, he may even realize a profit from the payments. Construction mortgages are offered by a variety of various institutions. Availing of one especially in financing construction projects is widely practiced. It falls upon the developer to find the bank with the least interest rate and flexible repayment schedule appropriate for the development. However, some developers have established such a good reputation that they obtain certain perks.

Color and the Visible Spectrum Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Color and the Visible Spectrum - Research Paper Example The electromagnetic spectrum offers various ranges of colours that can be observed by the human eye. The visible spectrum ranges from 390 nanometers to 780 nanometers. Moreover, the electromagnetic spectrum has light frequencies that are either too low or too high for humans to see, for example, the ultraviolet that is located past the infrared, found in the red part of the visible light spectrum (Cao & Cui, 100) Visible spectrum is a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum that can be observed by the human eyes. The frequency and the wavelength are often inversely proportional. A rise in frequency causes a decrease in wavelength as well as an increase in the energy associated with the photon. Radiations with longer wavelength, infrared and visible light are non-ionizing radiation because ionizing radiations entail UV light, gamma rays and X-rays. The limit between now- ionizing and ionizing radiation is found within the ultraviolet regions (Eugene Hecht, 50). Pure colours or spectra are those colours that are made up of only one wavelength. Visible wavelengths go through optical window which is defined as the region in the electromagnetic spectrum that permits wavelengths to go through the earth’s atmosphere. The midday skies often appear blue as a result of clean air scattering it more than red wavelength. The optical window is also known as visible window. In the thirteenth century, Roger Bacon asserted that rainbows developed in the same way as light passing through a crystal or prism. Isaac Newton discovered that prisms could reassemble and disassemble white light and illustrated the finding in his books about optics. He observed that a fraction of beam of light is reflected while other fractions go through the prism when a narrow beam of light strikes the face of a glass prism (Eugene Hecht, 50). The beam of light that goes through the glass often appeared as colored bands. Newton hypothesized that light comprises of

Luxury and the Montblanc brand Essay Example for Free

Luxury and the Montblanc brand Essay It is generally acknowledged that western consumption of luxury in the 1980s and 1990s was motivated primarily by status-seeking and appearance. This means that social status associated with a brand is an important factor in conspicuous consumption. The baby boom generation luxury consumer has a passion for self-indulgence while maintaining an iconoclastic world view, which is transforming the luxury market from its ‘ old ’ conspicuous consumption model to a totally new, individualistic type of luxury consumer one driven by new needs and desires for experiences ’ . The expression of ‘today’s luxury’ is about a celebration of personal creativity, expressiveness, intelligence, fluidity, and above all, meaning. LUXURY AND POSTMODERNISM Recent arguments have been sounded that aspects of contemporary luxury consumption have reflected the phenomenon of postmodernism. Postmodernity means very different things to many different people’. Postmodernism is essentially a western philosophy that ‘refers to a break in thinking away from the modern, functional and rational’. In terms of experiential marketing, two aspects of the postmodern discourse are most relevant: hyper-reality and image. Hyper-reality refers to ‘the blurring of distinction between the real and the unreal, in which the prefix ‘hyper’ signifies more real than real. When the real that is the environment, is no longer a given, but is reproduced by a simulated environment, it does not become unreal, but realer than real’. The example of Bollywood to illustrate the so-called ‘Disneyfication’ of reality within the context of contemporary Indian society: ‘Bollywood captures not only the imagination in the form of song, music and dance but fairy tale settings, romantic melodrama and heroic storylines immerse the viewer in ‘simulated reality’. Traditional marketing was developed in response to the industrial age, not the information, branding and communications revolution we are facing today. In a new age, with new consumers, we need to shift away from a features- and-benefits approach, as advocated by traditional approaches to consumer experiences. One such approach is experiential marketing, an approach that in contrast to the rational features-and-benefits view of consumers takes a more postmodern orientation, and views them as emotional beings concerned with achieving pleasurable experiences. EXPERIENTIAL LUXURY MARKETING When a person buys a service, he purchases a set of intangible activities carried out on his behalf. But when he buys an experience, he pays to spend time enjoying a series of memorable events that a company stages to engage him in a personal way. Experiential marketing is thus about taking the essence of a product and amplifying it into a set of tangible, physical and interactive experiences that reinforce the offer. Experiential marketing essentially describes marketing initiatives that give consumers in-depth, tangible experiences in order to provide them with sufficient information to make a purchase decision. It is clear that the fact that many luxury goods are almost always experiential puts luxury marketers in a unique position to apply the principles of experiential marketing to their activities. Dimensions of the luxury experience The term ‘involvement’ refers to the level of inter-activity between the supplier and the customer. Increased levels of involvement fundamentally change the way in which services are experienced, that is, suppliers no longer create an experience and pass it to the customer; instead, the supplier and customer are interactively co-creating the experience. The term ‘intensity’ refers to the perception of the strength of feeling towards the interaction. The four experiential zones are not intended to be mutually exclusive; the richness of an experience is, however, a function of the degree to which all four zones are incorporated. Those experiences we think of as Entertainment, such as fashion shows at designer boutiques and upmarket department stores, usually involve a low degree of customer involvement and intensiveness. Activities in the Educational zone involve those where participants are more actively involved, but the level of intensiveness is still low. In this zone, participants acquire new skills or increase those they already have. Many luxury goods offerings include educational dimensions. For example, cruise ships often employ well-known authorities to provide semi-formal lectures about their itineraries – a concept commonly referred to as ‘edutainment’. Escapist activities are those that involve a high degree of both involvement and intensiveness, and are clearly a central feature of much of luxury consumption. This is clearly evident within the luxury tourism and hospitality sector, characterised by the growth of specialised holiday offerings. The launch of the Royal Tented Taj Spa (Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces) at the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur (India) recreates the mobile palaces used by the Mughal emperors of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with chandeliers, royal pennants and Indian love swings. When the element of activity is reduced to a more passive involvement in nature, the event becomes Aesthetic. A high degree of intensiveness is clearly evident within this activity, but has little effect on its environment such as admiring the architectural or interior design of designer boutiques. The six-storey glass crystal design of the Prada store in Tokyo conceptualised by the architects Herzog and de Meuron has become a showcase for unconventional contemporary architecture.

Short Research Proposal On Fear Of Crime

Short Research Proposal On Fear Of Crime In this short research proposal, I will critically analyse and justify the reasons why I have chosen to use in depth interviews compared to other qualitative methods in order to research fear of crime among young men aged between 18-25 in inner London. My primary objective is to find out to what extent do young men aged 18-25 living in inner London fear crime. Altogether there are three main types of qualitative data; they are in depth interviews, focus groups and ethnography (Bryman, 2004). However, before I justify the reasons why I have chosen to use in depth interviews compared to focus groups and ethnography I will first give a brief definition of fear of crime among young men. In order to carry out a short research proposal, it is important that I have background knowledge on my research topic. On the whole, there are many different types of interviews however in my research I will be conducting in depth interviews with thirty young males aged between 18-25. I have chosen in depth interviews to conduct my research as this will provide me with rich data, it will also enable the participants to express their feelings and experiences on fear of crime (Bryman, 2004). There are two different types of in depth interviews they are known as semi-structured and unstructured interviews. In my research, I will be carrying out semi-structured interviews whereby I will have a set of questions to ask the participants. In Semi structured interviews the questions are usually open ended hence this will enable me to gather rich, detailed information about the experiences and attitudes towards fear of crime among young men (Miller and Brewer, 2003). On the other hand, although unstructured interviews are a great way to build rapport with the respondent there is a slight possibility that the participants may go off on tangents, and hence this will be more time consuming (Seale, 2004). In relation to my research topic, by carrying out a semi-structured interviews young men will feel more comfortable to talk about their experiences. I will now discuss and justify the reasons why I have decided to select in depth interviews compared to focus groups and ethnography to carry out my research. According to May, in depth interview is a great way to understand the attitudes and feelings of an individual on a specific topic (May, 2001). In depth interviews will enable me to explore in more detail the fear of crime among young men in inner London (Seale, 2004). Hence, compared to focus groups and ethnography, in depth interviews will allow me to have a better understanding of the individuals views, experiences, opinions and feelings towards fear of crime among young men (Seale, 2004). Another advantage of in depth interviews is that it allows flexibility; interviews can be adjusted to cater the needs of different types of people (Sarantakos, 2005). Furthermore, another advantage is that researchers can ask questions on the spot, probe the participants as well as change the order of questions if needed (Miller and Brewer, 2003). Another advantage is that during my study, I will have full control of the environment, under which questions are answered (Sarantakos, 2005). In depth interviews will also enable me to clarify any questions which are not understood by the participants (Sarantakos, 2005). Another advantage of in-depth interviews is that I will gain high response rate, with rich, detailed information about the fear of crime among young men. Hence, with in depth interviews it is much easier to discuss sensitive issue compared to when interviewing a group (Miller and Brewer, 2003). Despite these advantages, there are many limitations to in depth interview. With in depth interviews participants may not always be as honest about their fear of crime; hence this will lack reliability (Miller and Brewer, 2003). Another limitation of in depth interview is that it is very time consuming compared to other data collection methods (Seale, 2004). From gaining access to individuals, to conducting the interviews and then analyzing the data will take a huge amount of time (Miller and Brewer, 2003). This is one of the reasons why I will be conducting my research on only thirty individuals. Furthermore, according to May, the researchers physical characteristics such as age, class, race, gender and ethnicity may have an effect on the interviewees responses (May, 2001). This is another limitation as interviews may be affected due to the physical characteristics of the researcher (Sarantakos, 2005). For example, if a female researcher was conducting the study on fear of crime among young men many participants may not be as honest about their attitudes and experiences of fear of crime due to the researcher being a female. Another issue of in depth interview is that people tend to prefer to write about sensitive topics, such as fear of crime rather than discussing the issue in an interview (Sarantakos, 2005). As the study will only be conducted on thirty individuals, another concern is that once the information is gained and analysed, it will be difficult to generalize fear of crime among young men who live in inner London (Sarantakos, 2005). I will now define, discuss and analyse the advantages and limitations of ethnography and why I decided not to use ethnography for my research topic. Ethnography allows researchers to understand the social meanings and activities of people they are conducting research on (Miller and Brewer, 2003). Furthermore, ethnography studies will allow the researcher to observe the participants for a longer period of time (Bryman, 2004). By spending time with the participants, listening and engaging in conversations and getting to know them individually on a daily basis it will help and allow the researcher to have a better understanding of the participants he or she is studying (Bryman, 2004). However, in relation to my research topic my aim objective is to find out the feelings and emotions of fear of crime among young men. With participant observation it will be difficult for me to understand the experiences of fear of crime among young men as the participants may not be able to express their experiences when conducting a participant observation study. Furthermore, when an individual is aware that they are being observed they may behave differently, hence this will lack validity (Bryman, 2004). There are two types of ethnography roles when gaining access to participants, they are known as overt and covert roles. Covert role is whereby an individual discloses the fact that they are a researcher observing the participants for a particular reason. On the other hand, the ethnographer who takes the overt role informs the participants that they are researches (Bryman, 2004). On the whole, covert roles may provide the researcher with more information which is highly valid due to the fact that the participants are not aware that they are being observed. However, by carrying out covert roles you will be breaking the ethical guidelines such as informed consent and deception (Bryman, 2004). I will now define, discuss and analyse the advantages and limitations of using a focus group. Focus groups are when a small group of people are brought together for an interview that share similar experiences and have particular interest. Focus groups have become a very popular method used by many researchers since the 1980s. Focus groups allow participants to ask questions, have discussions and arguments (Bryman, 2004). It also allows participants to justify and articulate their ideas with one another in a group context (Seale, 2004). There are many advantages to having focus groups, by conducting a focus group it will allow individuals to probe one another and challenge each other for holding certain views (Bryman, 2004). Another advantage of using a focus group is that large amount of date can be produced in a short amount of time, however a limitation to this is that it will be difficult for the researcher to record and analyse data from the focus group (Bryman, 2004). Focus groups allow participants to share stories, experiences and thoughts together; hence this provides rich, quality data for the researcher to analyses (Bryman, 2004). Another advantage of a focus group is that it is less time consuming compared to in depth interviews, you can easily get six to ten peoples views and opinions all at the same time rather than interviewing all ten of them (Seale, 2004). Focus groups also allow the participants to listen to other peoples views who have a similar position to them in the community (Sarantakos, 2005). According to Bryman, focus groups are regarded as more naturalistic compared to interviews in the sense that focus groups reflect the processes through which meaning is constructed in everyday life (Bryman, 2004, 348). During the focus group the researcher acts as a facilitator observing the discussion and encouraging participants to contribute (Sarantakos, 2005). Depending on the topic being discussed, focus groups can sometimes encourage the individual to open up and hence take part in the discussion. However, in other situations in-depth interviews are preferred; it all depends on the research topic (Seale, 2004). According to Wilkinson who reviewed more than 200 studies based on focus groups, she found that many researchers fail to analyse and take into account the interaction between the group members (Bryman, 2004). Another critic of a focus group is that some individuals may not express their fear of crime among other young men. By being in a group individuals may not express their true opinions (Sarantakos, 2005). Individuals may feel more comfortable to express their concerns of fear of crime in a one to one interview (Bryman, 2004). In focus groups, individuals may be influenced to follow the group norm and may not open as much compared to in depth interviews (Bryman, 2004). According to Barbour and Kitzinger, focus groups will enable researchers to examine peoples different perspective as they operate within a social network, (Barbour and Kitzinger in Seale, 2004, 181). Furthermore, focus groups may allow the researcher to explore issues which are not easily seen during participant observation (Seale, 2004). However, another concern of using a focus group is that some individuals may dominate the discussion and hence others may not be given the chance to explore their attitudes and feelings towards fear of crime, (Sarantakos, 2005). I will now discuss what sampling method I will use in order to carry out my research. In relation to my research topic and design I will use the purposive sampling method in order to carry out my study. Purposive sampling is when participants are selected due to them having a relation to the subject topic. Purposive sampling is whereby researchers use their expect judgment to find participants who are relevant to their study (Singleton and Straits, 1999). Purposive sampling is a very popular sampling method used by many researchers when conducting qualitative research (Seale, 2004). In relation to my research topic, purposive sampling is the best sampling method to use; it fits in very well with the aims of my research. However, according to Singleton and Straits, a limitation to purposive sampling is that making an informed selection of cases requires considerable knowledge of the population before the sample is drawn (Singleton and Straits, 1999, 159). I will now discuss how I will gain access to my participants. I will gain access to my participants through contacting local organizations who work with youths. I will also gain access by visiting two universities in inner London; I will visit the student union and ask for potential students who are willing to take part in my study. Before the interviews are carried out, I will ensure that I am fully prepared and organised, in order for me to do this I will make a check list of all the things I need to do before the interview and also after the interview. In my research, I will also audio record all the interviews; this will enable me to have a better one to one conversation with my respondents. However, an issue may be that that some respondents may refuse for their voice to be recorded. If this occurs, I will explain to the participants that the interview is only being audio recorded for my use only and that the recording will not be shared with any third party (Bryman, 2004). For the interview to be successful it is vital that the interviewee has an understanding of the subject topic (May, 2001). Before I start my interview, I will define the term fear of crime to my participants in order for them to have a better understanding of the subject topic. Before the interview process, I will make it clear to my participants what is expected of them, by doing this my participants will feel more comfortable and hence more relaxed for the interview to begin (May, 2001). It is important for all researchers to take into consideration ethical issues before conducting any research. The British Sociological Association has set out ethical guidelines for researchers to follow; breaking the guidelines may result in penalties. There are many ethical issues which need to be considered before carrying out a study; however the three main ethical issues are whether there is harm to participants, lack of informed consent, and whether deception is involved (Bryman, 2004). In relation to my study on fear of crime among young men I will ensure that all my participants are fully informed about the study. Before I conduct my research all participants involved will be asked to read and sign the consent forms, all participants will also have the right to withdrew from the study at any given time (Bryman, 2004). Furthermore, in regards to participant harm according to Diener and Crandall, participant harm can be physical harm or personal harm (Diener and Crandall, in Bryman, 2004). I will ensure that in my study none of my participants are physically or emotional harmed. Finally, in regards to deception, I will ensure that all my participants are fully aware of the study and that the results of the interviews will not be shared with anyone else without their consent. Deception usually occurs when the researcher provides false statements to their participants about the study (Bryman, 2004). In conclusion, in depth interview is the best data collection method for me to research the fear of crime among men aged 18-25 living in inner London. Despite its limitations, in relation to my research topic, in depth interview would be the best method to use as it will enable me to understand the attitudes and experiences of fear of crime among young men compared to focus groups and ethnography.

Graduation Speech: Its Been Fun :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Hello students, faculty, members of the school board, Superintendent, and parents. When I was first told that I was going to be the speaker for graduation, I was overcome. I was overcome with pride and excitement, as I'm sure we all are today as we close this chapter on our lives, but most of all, I was overcome with a feeling. A feeling that I have fooled you all into electing a Canadian to speak on this very important occasion. (Canadian Accent) I bet about now, you are all finally realizing just what it is you've done, eh? But it's too late, eh? I can't be stopped.... (Drape Canadian flag over top of podium) The rich history of Canada is a very long and interesting one. One that begins in the early years of. ...(Trail off and give a moment of thought)" **remove flag" or better yet have someone do it for you.) Seriously though, after I got over my initial reaction, I realized that this was going to be a very difficult undertaking. So I did what any teen-age boy would do in a similar situation. I turn to my friends! I received two pieces of advice that not only helped me with the situation at hand, but I feel will be the predominant source of motivation for the next big step in my life and everything that follows thereafter. These two pieces of advice were. (Hold up palms with numbers inked on them) No. 1: Don't Screw up! No. 2: Be Funny! Obviously after these two gems of advice, I was prepared to write a stunning and powerful speech that will remain with every one of us till the day we die. Or at least until one of the real speakers come up here and says something meaningful. It's hard to believe that we'll all be leaving this place finally. It is even harder to believe that from now on, we're going to pretty much have to fend for ourselves. I think that whether we know it or not, we've gained a lot of the tools that we'll need to make it out there, right here at Welch. Personally, I've learned some of the most important messages of my life within these hallowed halls. I've learned that it's important to walk the road less traveled, because after a while, running down freshman in the packed hallways just loses some of its appeal.

The Rewarding Career of a Veterinarian Essay -- animals, clinic, rease

Many people have lost their pets and close family members because there is no way to get the help or medical attention that the animal so desperately needed. Every day in the United States, veterinarians are working hard to save animal’s lives. People will always continue to want and to breed pets. Therefore, to help and cure all these pets, a steady stream of veterinarians will be needed for many years to come. Over the years, the requirements and processes to becoming a veterinarian have changed. To become a successful veterinarian one must complete all necessary education and on the job training, be friendly and love animals, and have a burning passion to help both the pet and the pet owner. For anyone to become a veterinarian, one must have all the necessary requirements for both education and on the job training. During high school, science courses are highly recommended. After high school, one must obtain their doctor of veterinary medicine degree. To achieve this goal, Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center says one must â€Å"attend 4 years at college of veterinary medicine, complete 45-90 hours of undergraduate study, and must pass at least one examination in the state at in which they intend to practice† (3-4 2014). During a person’s schooling, Veterinarians are expected to make decent grades and to show an interest for learning the sciences as well as technology. Besides having the education, a person must also indulge in some training both on the job and in shadowing experiences. Most if not all training will be completed in veterinarian school and will allow the veterinarian to start working right away. â€Å"According to the 2006-07 edition o f the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, in 2004 annual sala... ...ool and dedication are necessary for succeeding in a career. Works Cited Greenland, Paul R., and Anna Marie L. â€Å"Veterinarian.† Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center.Facts On File, Inc. Web. 9. Jan. 2014. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? Item ID= WE34&SID=58iPin=COCEO66&SingleRecord=True. Devantier, Alecia T., and Carol A. Turkington, Carol A. . â€Å"Holistic Veterinarian.† Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center. Facts on File. Inc. Web. 14 Jan 2014. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? Item= WE34&SID=iPin=EJAN10016&SingleRecord=Truen. â€Å"Veterinarians† Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center. Facts on File, Inc. Web. 9 Jan 2014. Lee, Mary Price, Lee, Richard S. In: McGraw Hill Professional. Edition: Rev. ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2009. eBook. Todd, Benton. Personal Interview. 26 Nov 2013.

How Biographical Traits of Individuals Affect Organizational Performanc

How Biographical Traits of Individuals Affect Organizational Performance To study the organization behavior, that is to study the people who form the organization. The success of an organization rests on the characteristics of its people. Successful managers can observe the employees’ behavior to understand their individual characteristics, which helps to improve the employees’ performance. Therefore, the performance of employees is directly related to their biographical characteristics and abilities. These factors affect employees’ interaction with others and reaction to various situations in the workplace. Then how these characteristics affect organizational performance? To learn about this, we should first know what biographical characteristics are. Biographical characteristics are personal characteristics—such as age, gender, and marital status—that are objective and easily obtained from personnel records. Let’s take a look at the first characteristic—age. The issue about age and performance is quite controversial. When we consider this aspect, the thought that aged-old workers have lower level of performance may easily and firstly come into mind. Is that true? In some work field, the answer is to some extend yes. People’s physical condition is inevitably degenerating when they are aging old. They do no have as much energy as the young have in everyday time. For example, does a tourist company manager would like to recruit a tourist guide wh... How Biographical Traits of Individuals Affect Organizational Performanc How Biographical Traits of Individuals Affect Organizational Performance To study the organization behavior, that is to study the people who form the organization. The success of an organization rests on the characteristics of its people. Successful managers can observe the employees’ behavior to understand their individual characteristics, which helps to improve the employees’ performance. Therefore, the performance of employees is directly related to their biographical characteristics and abilities. These factors affect employees’ interaction with others and reaction to various situations in the workplace. Then how these characteristics affect organizational performance? To learn about this, we should first know what biographical characteristics are. Biographical characteristics are personal characteristics—such as age, gender, and marital status—that are objective and easily obtained from personnel records. Let’s take a look at the first characteristic—age. The issue about age and performance is quite controversial. When we consider this aspect, the thought that aged-old workers have lower level of performance may easily and firstly come into mind. Is that true? In some work field, the answer is to some extend yes. People’s physical condition is inevitably degenerating when they are aging old. They do no have as much energy as the young have in everyday time. For example, does a tourist company manager would like to recruit a tourist guide wh...

Finance Report ASOS ESSAY

With a rate much higher than the sis free rate of return (4%) investors are likely to invest in the company (risk Free Rate Of Return Definition I Investigated', 2003). Return on sales Return on sales (ROSS) stands at 8. 59% in 2008 and stays fairly consistent through to 2009. In 201 0 it increases marginally by 0. 68% to 9. 11%, however falls to 6. 30% by 2012. The target Return on sales is often around 10% dependent on the type of industry, so SASS falls below the target. However SASS have a high sales volume, which does not necessarily mean a low ROCK (France, 2013).The year preceding August 2013 they received 19,372 orders; a 43% increase on the previous year. (Sass ply. Results & reports, 2013) Gross Margin % The gross profit margin in 2008 showed a pleasing 46%; however between 2008-2011 there is a continuous downfall, with a decrease of 7. 23% over the 3 years. Although this increased by 12. 4% in 201 2, the 7. 23% fall in gross profit could potentially be catastrophic for a c ompany with low ROSS. However this could be due to a change in the price of raw materials or selling prices. (France, 201 3) Liquidity and gearing Sass' current ratio is always between 1. 5-1. 56:1. However they have not borrowed any money over the 5 year period, so carry a low risk to investors. Therefore even though they are not at the ideal ratio of , they have not borrowed any money; indicating they have good short-term financial strength (LetsLearnFinanceFinance in Simple Terms, 2011) Activity Debtor turnover began at 8 days in 2008, however made a vast improvement in 2009 falling to 2 days and then from 2010-2012 remained at 1 day. Creditor turnover days began at 68 days in 2012 which is fairly high, however this creased to 42 days in 2012.This suggests that SASS have good credit control and a low risk of bad debts as their debtor turnover is always at least 40 days less than their creditor days. (France, 201 3) Stock turnover has increased from 98 days to 121 days from 2008-2 012 and remains fairly consistent throughout. However due to the seasonal nature of the industry with fashions changing regularly, they should try to decrease their stock turnover days. Employee Ratios Sales per employee started at a commendable IEEE,477 and despite falling y EYE,801 between 2008-2012, increased to IEEE,835 by 2012.This totals El 27,358 increase in sales per employee over the 5 year period. Profit per employee remains consistent throughout, ranging between EYE,058-EYE,557; an exception being 2011 where it drops drastically to EYE,212. This correlates with the low profit margins and return on sales for the year. Growth ratios From 2008-2009 sales increased by 104% as they entered the market, most likely due to promotion. However the following year it dropped 69% and then increased a steady 1 1 % over the next two years.The operating profit was 100% after the first year and dropped dramatically to -22% in 2011 resulting in a loss. However this was recovered by 2012 wi th a 96% growth. To remain sustainable they must try and keep their growth rates consistent. Conclusion The company appears stable due to their good cash flow. They have a low risk to investors, with high potential returns. SASS have no gearing, which gives them the potential to expand in the future to remain competitive in such a tough industry. If they were to borrow this would also improve the company's current ratio.

Save Ganga Movement

Save Ganga Movement Save Ganga Movement is a widespread Gandhian non-violent movement supported by saints and popular social activists across the Indian States Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in support of a free Ganga. The movement is supported by Ganga Seva Abhiyanam, Pune-based National Women's Organisation (NWO) besides those of many other like-minded organizations and with the moral support from many religious leaders, spiritual and political, scientists, environmentalists, writers and social activists.Ganga Calling – Save Ganga is another such campaign supported by Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action (ICELA) Ganges is the largest and the most sacred river of India with enormous spiritual, cultural, and physical influence. It provides water to about 40% of India's population in 11 states. It is estimated that the livelihoods of over 500 million people in India are dependant upon the river, and that one-third of India's population lives within the Ganges Basin.Despite this magn itude of influence and control by the river over present and future of the country, it is allegedly under direct threat from various man made and natural environmental issues. Pollution River Ganges flows through the most densely populated regions of India passing 29 cities with population over 100,000, 23 cities with population between 50,000 and 100,000, and about 48 towns. A sizable proportion of the effluents in Ganges are caused by this population through domestic usage like bathing, laundry and public defecation.Countless tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and hospitals contribute to the pollution of the Ganges by dumping untreated toxic and non-biodegradable waste into it. It is this sheer volume of pollutants released into the river every day that are causing irreparable damage to the ecosystem and contributing to significant sanitation issues. Dams Built in 1854 during the British colonization of India, the Haridwar dam has led to deca y of the Ganges by greatly diminishing the flow of the river.The Farakka Barrage was built originally to divert fresh water into the Bhagirathi River but has since caused an increase of salinity in the Ganges, having a damaging effect on the ground water and soil along the river. [4] Apart from this, Bangladesh and India faced major tensions due to this barrage. The government of India planned about 300 dams on the Ganges in the near future and the tributaries despite a government-commissioned green panel report that has recommended scrapping 34 of the dams citing environmental concerns.

Loblaw

Implementing the Position Defense strategy by doing the strategic alliance with the Wall-Mart in order to share the information technology system and supply chain management Recommendations The Lobar Companies Limited can use the resource of information technology system, which is Electronic Data Interchange form the Wall-Mart in order to improve the own inventory problem and supply chain management. Vendors can know our sales and in stock levels.The company can know when food that is stocked in the inventory will be expired; they can eliminate the stale-date food. Vendors will get the constant amount of orders from the company and delivery to our company on time. Hence, the company can provide the fresh food to the customers. After the company provide the fresh food with full shelves to customers, the customers will have positive attitudes toward the company that lead the increasing in Labials brand image.Moreover, the two companies, Lobar Companies Limited and Wall-Mart Superstores , can also share the transportations to each other. If the Lobar have to delivery the products from the distribution centers to the stores while the unavailable manufacturers' trucks and own fleets, the company can ask the Wall-Mart Superstores for using their trucks to ship the products. Hence, the company can reduce the opportunity cost of waiting own trucks to ship goods.Strategic Intent To become the market leader domestically and internationally in the supermarket industry Strategic Mission Lobar Companies Limited is manufacturer and distributor of food, non-food, photo shop, dry cleansing, a bank, medical clinic, women's-only fitness center, and gas station (some stores) in supermarket industry by providing one-stop shopping estimation with several services to consumers in Canada.

Philippine Republic Act Essay

For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, there shall be special members composed of a fourth member in each precinct and a COMELEC representative who is authorized to operate the counting machine. Both shall conduct the counting and recording of votes of the national ballots in the designated counting centers; 8. Election returns — a machine-generated document showing the date of the election, the province, municipality and the precinct in which it is held and the votes in figures for each candidate in a precinct directly produced by the counting machine; 9. Statement of votes — a machine-generated document containing the votes obtained by candidates in each precinct in a city/municipality; 10. City/municipal/district/provincial certificate of canvass of votes — a machine-generated document containing the total votes in figures obtained by each candidate in a city/municipality/district/ province as the case may be; and 11. Counting center — a public place designated by the Commission where counting of votes and canvassing/consolidation of results shall be conducted. Sec. 3. Qualifications, rights and limitations of the special members of the Board of Election Inspectors. No person shall be appointed as a special member of the board of election inspectors unless he/she is of good moral character and irreproachable reputation, a registered voter, has never been convicted of any election offense or of any crime punishable by more than six (6) months imprisonment or if he/she has pending against him/her an information for any election offense or if he/she is related within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to any member of the board of election inspectors or any special member of the same board of Election Inspector or to any candidate for a national position or to a nominee as a party list representative or his/her spouse. The special members of the board shall enjoy the same rights and be bound by the same limitations and liabilities of a regular member of the board of election inspectors but shall not vote during the proceedings of the board of election inspectors except on matters pertaining to the national ballot. Sec. 4. Duties and functions of the special members of the Board of Election Inspectors. — 1. During the conduct of the voting in the polling place, the fourth member shall: a) accomplish the minutes of voting for the automated election system in the precinct; and (b) ensure that the national ballots are placed inside the appropriate ballot box; 2. On the close of the polls, the fourth member shall bring the ballot box containing the national ballots to the designated counting center; 3. Before the counting of votes, the fourth member shall verify if the number of national ballots tallies with the data in the minutes of the voting; 4. During the counting of votes, the fourth member and the COMELEC authorized representative shall jointly accomplish the minutes of counting for the automated election system in the precinct; 5. After the counting of votes, the fourth member and the authorized representative shall jointly: (a) certify the results of the counting of national ballots from the precinct; and (b) bring the ballot box containing the counted national ballots together with the minutes of voting and counting, and other election documents and paraphernalia to the city or municipal treasurer for safekeeping. Sec. 5. Board of Canvassers. — For purposes of the May 11, 1998 elections, each province, city or municipality shall have two (2) board of canvassers, one for the manual election system under the existing law, and the other, for the automated system. For the automated election system, the chairman of the board shall be appointed by the Commission from among its personnel/deputies and the members from the officials enumerated. Authority to use an automated election system. To carry out the above-stated policy, the Commission on Elections, herein referred to as the Commission, is hereby authorized to use an automated election system, herein referred to as the System, for the process of voting, counting of votes and canvassing/consolidation of results of the national and local elections: Provided, however, That for the May 11, 1998 elections, the System shall be applicable in all areas within the country only for the positions of president, vice-president, senators and parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system. To achieve the purpose of this Act, the Commission is authorized to procure by purchase, lease or otherwise any supplies, equipment, materials and services needed for the holding of the elections by an expedited process of public bidding of vendors, suppliers or lessors: Provided, That the accredited political parties are duly notified of and allowed to observe but not to participate in the bidding. If, inspite of its diligent efforts to implement this mandate in the exercise of this authority, it becomes evident by February 9, 1998 that the Commission cannot fully implement the automated election system for national positions in the May 11, 1998 elections, the elections for both national and local positions shall be done manually except in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) where the automated election system shall be used for all positions. Sec. 7. Features of the system. — The System shall utilize appropriate technology for voting, and electronic devices for counting of votes and canvassing of results. For this purpose, the Commission shall acquire automated counting machines, computer equipment, devices and materials and adopt new forms and printing materials. The System shall contain the following features: (a) use of appropriate ballots, (b) stand-alone machine which can count votes and an automated system which can consolidate the results immediately, (c) with provisions for audit trails, (d) minimum human intervention, and (e) adequate safeguard/security measures. In addition, the System shall as far as practicable have the following features: 1. It must be user-friendly and need not require computer-literate operators; 2. The machine security must be built-in and multi-layer existent on hardware and software with minimum human intervention using latest technology like encrypted coding system; 3. The security key control must be embedded inside the machine sealed against human intervention; 4. The Optical Mark Reader (OMR) must have a built-in printer for numbering the counted ballots and also for printing the individual precinct number on the counted ballots; 5. The ballot paper for the OMR counting machine must be of the quality that passed the international standard like ISO-1831, JIS-X- 9004 or its equivalent for optical character recognition; 6. The ballot feeder must be automatic; 7. The machine must be able to count from 100 to 150 ballots per minute; 8. The counting machine must be able to detect fake or counterfeit ballots and must have a fake ballot rejector; 9. The counting machine must be able to detect and reject previously counted ballots to prevent duplication; 10. The counting machine must have the capability to recognize the ballot’s individual precinct and city or municipality before counting or consolidating the votes; 11. The System must have a printer that has the capacity to print in one stroke or operation seven (7) copies (original plus six (6) copies) of the consolidated reports on carbonless paper; 12. The printer must have at least 128 kilobytes of Random Access Memory (RAM) to facilitate the expeditious processing of the printing of the consolidated reports; 13. The machine must have a built-in floppy disk drive in order to save the processed data on a diskette; 14. The machine must also have a built-in hard disk to store the counted and consolidated data for future printout and verification; 15. The machine must be temperature-resistant and rust-proof; 16. The optical lens of the OMR must have a self-cleaning device; 17. The machine must not be capable of being connected to external computer peripherals for the process of vote consolidation; 18. The machine must have an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS); 19. The machine must be accompanied with operating manuals that will guide the personnel of the Commission the proper use and maintenance of the machine; 20. It must be so designed and built that add-ons may immediately be incorporated into the System at minimum expense; 21. It must provide the shortest time needed to complete the counting of votes and canvassing of the results of the election; 22. The machine must be able to generate consolidated reports like the election return, statement of votes and certificate of canvass at different levels; and 23. The accuracy of the count must be guaranteed, the margin of error must be disclosed and backed by warranty under such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Commission. In the procurement of this system, the Commission shall adopt an equitable system of deductions or demerits for deviations or deficiencies in meeting all the above stated features and standards. For this purpose, the Commission shall create an Advisory Council to be composed of technical experts from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Information Technology Foundation of the Philippines (ITFP), the University of the Philippines (UP), and two (2) representatives from the private sector recommended by the Philippine Computer Society (PCS). The Council may avail itself of the expertise and services of resource persons of known competence and probity. The Commission in collaboration with the DOST shall establish an independent Technical Ad Hoc Evaluation Committee, herein known as the Committee, composed of a representative each from the Senate, House of Representatives. The Committee shall certify that the System is operating properly and accurately and that the machines have a demonstrable capacity to distinguish between genuine and spurious ballots. The Committee shall ensure that the testing procedure shall be unbiased and effective in checking the worthiness of the System. Toward this end, the Committee shall design and implement a reliability test procedure or a system stress test. Sec. 8. Procurement of equipment and materials. — The Commission shall procure the automated counting machines, computer equipment, devices and materials needed for ballot printing and devices for voting, counting and canvassing from local or foreign sources free from taxes and import duties, subject to accounting and auditing rules and regulations. Sec. 9. Systems breakdown in the counting center. In the event of a systems breakdown of all assigned machines in the counting center, the Commission shall use any available machine or any component thereof from an other city/municipality upon the approval of the Commission En Banc or any of its divisions. The transfer of such machines or any component thereof shall be undertaken in the presence of representatives of political parties and citizens’ arm of the Commission who shall be notified by the election officer of such transfer. There is a systems breakdown in the counting center when the machine fails to read the ballots or fails to store/save results or fails to print the results after it has read the ballots; or when the computer fails to consolidate election results/reports or fails to print election results/reports after consolidation. Sec. 10. Examination and testing of counting machines. The Commission shall, on the date and time it shall set and with proper notices, allow the political parties and candidates or their representatives, citizens’ arm or their representatives to examine and test the machines to ascertain that the system is operating properly and accurately. Test ballots and test forms shall be provided by the Commission. After the examination and testing, the machines shall be locked and sealed by the election officer or any authorized representative of the Commission in the presence of the political parties and candidates or their representatives, and accredited citizens’ arms. The machines shall be kept locked and sealed and shall be opened again on election day before the counting of votes begins. Immediately after the examination and testing of the machines, the parties and candidates or their representatives, citizens’ arms or their representatives, may submit a written report to the election officer who shall immediately transmit it to the Commission for appropriate action. Sec. 11. Official ballot. — The Commission shall prescribe the size and form of the official ballot which shall contain the titles of the positions to be filled and/or the propositions to be voted upon in an initiative, referendum or plebiscite. Under each position, the names of candidates shall be arranged alphabetically by surname and uniformly printed using the same type size. A fixed space where the chairman of the Board of Election inspectors shall affix his/her signature to authenticate the official ballot shall be provided. Both sides of the ballots may be used when necessary. For this purpose, the deadline for the filing of certificate of candidacy/petition for registration/manifestation to participate in the election shall not be later than one hundred twenty (120) days before the elections: Provided, That, any elective official, whether national or local, running for any office other than the one which he/she is holding in a permanent capacity, except for president and vice-president, shall be deemed resigned only upon the start of the campaign period corresponding to the position for which he/she is running: Provided, further, That, unlawful acts or omissions applicable to a candidate shall take effect upon the start of the aforesaid campaign period: Provided, finally, That, for purposes of the May 11, 1998 elections, the deadline for filing of the certificate of candidacy for the positions of President, Vice President, Senators and candidates under the Party-List System as well as petitions for registration and/or manifestation to participate in the P arty-List System shall be on February 9, 1998 while the deadline for the filing of certificate of candidacy for other positions shall be on March 27, 1998. The official ballots shall be printed by the National Printing Office and/or the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas at the price comparable with that of private printers under proper security measures which the Commission shall adopt. The Commission may contract the services of private printers upon certification by the National Printing Office/ Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas that it cannot meet the printing requirements. Accredited political parties and deputized citizens’ arms of the Commission may assign watchers in the printing, storage and distribution of official ballots. To prevent the use of fake ballots, the Commission through the Committee shall ensure that the serial number on the ballot stub shall be printed in magnetic ink that shall be easily detectable by inexpensive hardware and shall be impossible to reproduce on a photocopying machine, and that identification marks, magnetic strips, bar codes and other technical and security markings, are provided on the ballot. The official ballots shall be printed and distributed to each city/municipality at the rate of one (1) ballot for every registered voter with a provision of additional four (4) ballots per precinct. Sec. 12. Substitution of candidates. — In case of valid substitutions after the official ballots have been printed, the votes cast for the substituted candidates shall be considered votes for the substitutes. Sec. 13. Ballot box. There shall be in each precinct on election day a ballot box with such safety features that the Commission may prescribe and of such size as to accommod ate the official ballots without folding them. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, there shall be two (2) ballot boxes for each precinct, one (1) for the national ballots and one (I) for the local ballots. Sec. 14. Procedure in voting. — The voter shall be given a ballot by the chairman of the Board of Election Inspectors. The voter shall then proceed to a voting booth to accomplish his/her ballot. If a voter spoils his/her ballot, he/she may be issued another ballot subject to Sec. 11 of this Act. No voter may be allowed to change his/her ballot more than once. After the voter has voted, he/she shall affix his/her thumbmark on the corresponding space in the voting record. The chairman shall apply indelible ink on the voter’s right forefinger and affix his/her signature in the space provided for such purpose in the ballot. The voter shall then personally drop his/her ballot on the ballot box. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, each voter shall be given one (1) national and one (1) local ballot by the Chairperson. The voter shall, after casting his/her vote, personally drop the ballots in their respective ballot boxes. Sec. 15. Closing of polls. After the close of voting, the board shall enter in the minutes the number of registered voters who actually voted, the number and serial number of unused and spoiled ballots, the serial number of the self-locking metal seal to be used in sealing the ballot box. The board shall then place the minutes inside the ballot box and thereafter close, lock and seal the same with padlocks, self-locking metal seals or any other safety devices that the Commission may authorize. The chairman of the Board of Election Inspectors shall publicly announce that the votes shall be counted at a designated counting center where the board shall transport the ballot box containing the ballots and other election documents and paraphernalia. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, the chairman of the Board of Election Inspectors shall publicly announce that the votes for president, vice-president, senators and parties, organizations or coalitions participating in the party-list system shall be counted at a designated counting center. During the transport of the ballot box containing the national ballots and other documents, the fourth member of the board shall be escorted by representatives from the Armed Forces of the Philippines or from the Philippine National Police, citizens’ arm, and if available, representatives of political parties and candidates. Sec. 16. Designation of Counting Centers. The Commission shall designate counting center(s) which shall be a public place within the city/municipality or in such other places as may be designated by the Commission when peace and order conditions so require, where the official ballots cast in various precincts of the city/municipality shall be counted. The e lection officer shall post prominently in his/her office, in the bulletin boards at the city/municipal hall and in three (3) other conspicuous places in the city/municipality, the notice on the designated counting center(s) for at least fifteen (15) days prior to election day. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, the Commission shall designate a central counting center(s) which shall be a public place within the city or municipality, as in the case of the National Capital Region and in highly urbanized areas. The Commission may designate other counting center(s) where the national ballots cast from various precincts of different municipalities shall be counted using the automated system. The Commission shall post prominently a notice thereof, for at least fifteen (15) days prior to election day, in the office of the election officer, on the bulletin boards at the municipal hall and in three (3) other conspicuous places in the municipality. Sec. 17. Counting procedure. — (a) The counting of votes shall be public and conducted in the designated counting center(s). (b) The ballots shall be counted by the machine by precinct in the order of their arrival at the counting center. The election officer or his/her representative shall log the sequence of arrival of the ballot boxes and indicate their condition. Thereafter, the board shall, in the presence of the watchers and representatives of accredited citizens’ arm, political parties/candidates, open the ballot box, retrieve the ballots and minutes of voting. It shall verify whether the number of ballots tallies with the data in the minutes. If there are excess ballots, the poll clerk, without looking at the ballots, shall publicly draw out at random ballots equal to the excess and without looking at the contents thereof, place them in an envelope which shall be marked â€Å"excess ballots†. The envelope shall be sealed and signed by the members of the board and placed in the compartment for spoiled ballots. (c) The election officer or any authorized official or any member of the board shall feed the valid ballots into the machine without interruption until all the ballots for the precincts are counted. (d) The board shall remain at the counting center until all the official ballots for the precinct are counted and all reports are properly accomplished. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, the ballots shall be counted by precinct by the special members of the board in the manner provided in paragraph (b) hereof. Sec. 18. Election returns. After the ballots of the precincts have been counted, the election officer or any official authorized by the Commission shall, in the presence of watchers and representatives of the accredited citizens’ arm, political parties/ candidates, if any, store the results in a data storage device and print copies of the electio n returns of each precinct. The printed election returns shall be signed and thumbmarked by the fourth member and COMELEC authorized representative and attested to by the election officer or authorized representative. The Chairman of the Board shall then publicly read and announce the total number of votes obtained by each candidate based on the election returns. Thereafter, the copies of the election returns shall be sealed and placed in the proper envelopes for distribution as follows: A. In the election of president, vice-president, senators and party-list system: (1) The first copy shall be delivered to the city or municipal board of canvassers; (2) The second copy, to the Congress, directed to the President of the Senate; (3) The third copy, to the Commission; (4) The fourth copy, to the citizens’ arm authorized by the Commission to conduct an unofficial count. In the conduct of the unofficial quick count by any accredited citizens’ arm, the Commission shall promulgate rules and regulations to ensure, among others, that said citizens’ arm releases in the rder of their arrival one hundred percent (100%) results of a precinct indicating the precinct, municipality or city, province and region: Provided, however, that, the count shall continue until all precincts shall have been reported. (5) The fifth copy, to the domin ant majority party as determined by the Commission in accordance with law; (6) The sixth copy, to the dominant minority party as determined by the Commission in accordance with law; and (7) The seventh copy shall be deposited inside the compartment of the ballot box for valid ballots. The citizens’ arm shall provide copies of the election returns at the expense of the requesting party. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, after the national ballots have been counted, the COMELEC authorized representative shall implement the provisions of paragraph A hereof. B. In the election of local officials and members of the House of Representatives: (1) The first copy shall be delivered to the city or municipal board of canvassers; (2) The second copy, to the Commission; (3) The third copy, to the provincial board of canvassers; (4) The fourth copy, to the citizens’ arm authorized by the Commission to conduct an unofficial count. In the conduct of the unofficial quick count by any accredited citizens’ arm, the Commission shall promulgate rules and regulations to ensure, among others, that said citizens’ arm releases in the order of their arrival one hundred percent (100%) results of a precinct indicating the precinct, municipality or city, province and region: Provided, however, That, the count shall continue until all precincts shall have been reported. 5) The fifth copy, to the dominant majority party as determined by the Commission in accordance with law; (6) The sixth copy, to the dominant minority party as determined by the Commission in accordance with law; and (7) The seventh copy shall be deposited inside the compartment of the ballot box for valid ballots. The citizens’ arm shall provide copies of election returns at the expense of the requesting party. After the votes from all precincts have been counted, a consolidated report of votes for each candidate shall be printed. After the printing of the election returns, the ballots shall be returned to the ballot box, which shall be locked, sealed and delivered to the city/municipal treasurer for safekeeping. The treasurer shall immediately provide the Commission and the election officer with a record of the serial numbers of the ballot boxes and the corresponding metal seals. Sec. 19. Custody and accountability of ballots. — The election officer and the treasurer of the city/municipality as deputy of the Commission shall have joint custody and accountability of the official ballots, accountable forms and other election documents as well as ballot boxes containing the official ballots cast. The ballot boxes shall not be opened for three (3) months unless the Commission orders otherwise. Sec. 20. Substitution of Chairman and Members of the Board of Canvassers. — In case of non-availability, absence, disqualification due to relationship, or incapacity for any cause of the chairman, the Commission shall appoint as substitute, a ranking lawyer of the Commission. With respect to the other members of the board, the Commission shall appoint as substitute the following in the order named: the provincial auditor, the register of deeds, the clerk of court nominated by the executive judge of the regional trial court, or any other available appointive provincial official in the case of the provincial board of canvassers; the officials in the city corresponding to those enumerated in the case of the city board of canvassers; and the municipal administrator, the municipal assessor, the clerk of court nominated by the judge of the municipal trial court, in the case of the municipal board of canvassers. Sec. 21. Canvassing by Provincial, City, District and Municipal Boards of Canvassers. — The city or municipal board of canvassers shall canvass the votes for the president, vice-president, senators, and parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices used in the printing of the election returns. Upon completion of the canvass, it shall print the certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president, senators and members of the House of Representatives and elective provincial officials and thereafter, proclaim the elected city or municipal officials, as the case may be. The city board of canvassers of cities comprising one (1) or more legislative districts shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and elective city officials by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices used in the printing of the election returns. Upon completion of the canvass, the board shall print the canvass of votes for president, vice-president, and senators and thereafter, proclaim the elected members of the House of Representatives and city officials. In the Metro Manila area, each municipality comprising a legislative district shall have a district board of canvassers which shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and elective municipal officials by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices used in the printing of the election returns. Upon completion of the canvass, it shall print the certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president, and senators and thereafter, proclaim the elected members of the House of Representatives and municipal officials. Each component municipality in a legislative district in the Metro Manila area shall have a municipal board of canvassers which shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and elective municipal officials by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices used in the printing of the election returns. Upon completion of the canvass, it shall prepare the certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and thereafter, proclaim the elected municipal officials. The district board of canvassers of each legislative district comprising two (2) municipalities in the Metro Manila area shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators and members of the House of Representatives by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices submitted by the municipal board of canvassers of the component municipalities. Upon completion of the canvass, it shall print a certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president and senators and thereafter, proclaim the elected members of the House of Representatives in the legislative district. The district/provincial board of canvassers shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and elective provincial officials by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices submitted by the board of canvassers of the municipalities and component cities. Upon completion of the canvass, it shall print the certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president and senators and thereafter, proclaim the elected members of the House of Representatives and the provincial officials. The municipal, city, district and provincial certificates of canvass of votes shall each be supported by a statement of votes. The Commission shall adopt adequate and effective measures to preserve the integrity of the data storage devices at the various levels of the boards of canvassers. Sec. 22. Number of copies of Certificates of Canvass of Votes and their distribution. (a) The certificate of canvass of votes for president, vi ce-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives, parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system and elective provincial officials shall be printed by the city or municipal board of canvassers and distributed as follows: (1) The first copy shall be delivered to the provincial board of canvassers for use in the canvass of election results for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives, parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system and elective provincial officials; (2) The second copy shall be sent to the Commission; (3) The third copy shall be kept by the chairman of the board; and (4) The fourth copy shall be given to the citizens’ arm designated by the Commission to conduct an unofficial count. It shall be the duty of the citizens’ arm to furnish independent candidates copies of the certificate of canvass at the expense of the requesting party. The board of canvassers shall furnish all registered parties copies of the certificate of canvass at the expense of the requesting party. b) The certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president and senators, parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the p arty-list system shall be printed by the city boards of canvassers of cities comprising one or more legislative districts, by provincial boards of canvassers and by district boards of canvassers in the Metro Manila area, and other highly urbanized areas and distributed as follows: (1) The first copy shall be sent to Congress, directed to the President of the Senate for use in the canvas of election results for president and vice-president; (2) The second copy shall be sent to the Commission for use in the canvass of the election results for senators; (3) The third copy shall be kept by the chairman of the board; and (4) The fourth copy shall be given to the citizens’ arm designated by the Commission to conduct an unofficial count. It shall be the duty of the citizens’ arm to furnish independent candidates copies of the certificate of canvass at the expense of the requesting party. The board of canvassers shall furnish all registered parties copies of the certificate of canvass at the expense of the requesting party. c) The certificates of canvass printed by the provincial, district, city or municipal boards of canvassers shall be signed and thumbmarked by the chairman and members of the board and the principal watchers, if available. Thereafter, it s hall be sealed and placed inside an envelope which shall likewise be properly sealed. In all instances, where the Board of Canvassers has the duty to furnish registered political parties with copies of the certificate of canvass, the pertinent election returns shall be attached thereto, where appropriate. Sec. 23. National Board of Canvassers for Senators. — The chairman and members of the Commission on Elections sitting en banc, shall compose the national board of canvassers for senators. It shall canvass the results for senators by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices submitted by the district, provincial and city boards of canvassers of those cities which comprise one or more legislative districts. Thereafter, the national board shall proclaim the winning candidates for senators. Sec. 24. Congress as the National Board of Canvassers for President and Vice-President. — The Senate and the House of Representatives in joint public session shall compose the national board of canvassers for president and vice-president. The returns of every election for president and vice-president duly certified by the board of canvassers of each province or city, shall be transmitted to the Congress, directed to the president of the Senate. Upon receipt of the certificates of canvass, the president of the Senate shall, not later than thirty (30) days after the day of the election, open all the certificates in the presence of the Senate and the House of Representatives in joint public session and the Congress upon determination of the authenticity and the due execution thereof in the manner provided by law, canvass all the results for president and vice-president by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices submitted by the district, provincial and city boards of canvassers and thereafter, proclaim the winning candidates for president and vice-president. Sec. 25. Voters’ education. — The Commission together with and in support of accredited citizens’ arms shall carry out a continuing and systematic campaign through newspapers of general circulation, radio and ther media forms, as well as through seminars, symposia, fora and other non-traditional means to educate the public and f ully inform the electorate about the automated election system and inculcate values on honest, peaceful and orderly elections. Sec. 26. Supervision and control. — The System shall be under the exclusive supervision and control of the Commission. For this purpose, there is hereby created an information technology department in the Commission to carry out the full administration and implementation of the System. The Commission shall take immediate steps as may be necessary for the acquisition, installation, administration, storage, and maintenance of equipment and devices, and to promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. Sec. 27. Oversight Committee. An Oversight Committee is hereby created composed of three (3) representatives each from the Senate and the House of Representatives and three (3) from the Commission on Elections to monitor and evaluate the implementation of this Act. A report to the Senate and the House of Representatives shall be submitted within ninety (90) days from the date of election. The oversight committee may hire competent consultants for project monitoring and informati on technology concerns related to the implementation and improvement of the modern election system. The oversight committee shall be provided with the necessary funds to carry out its duties. Sec. 28. Designation of other dates for certain pre-election acts. — If it shall no longer be reasonably possible to observe the periods and dates prescribed by law for certain pre-election acts, the Commission shall fix other periods and dates in order to ensure accomplishment of the activities so voters shall not be deprived of their suffrage. Sec. 29. Election offenses. — In addition to those enumerated in Sec. s 261 and 262 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 881, As Amended, the following acts shall be penalized as election offenses, whether or not said acts affect the electoral process or results: (a) Utilizing without authorization, tampering with, destroying or stealing: 1) Official ballots, election returns, and certificates of canvass of votes used in the System; and (2) Electronic devices or their components, peripherals or supplies used in the System such as counting machine, memory pack/diskette, memory pack receiver and computer set; (b) Interfering with, impeding, absconding for purpose of gain, preventing the installation or use of computer counting devices and the processing, storage, generation and transmission of election results, data or information; and (c) Gaining or causing access to using, altering, destroying or disclosing any computer data, program, system software, network, or any computer-related devices, facilities, hardware or equipment, whether classified or declassified. Sec. 30. Applicability. — The provisions of Batas Pambansa Blg. 81, As Amended, otherwise known as the â€Å"Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines†, and other election laws not inconsistent with this Act shall apply. Sec. 31. Rules and Regulations. — The Commission shall promulgate rules and regulations for the implementation and enforcement of this Act including such measures that will address possible difficulties and confusions brought about by the two-ballot system. The Commission may consult its accredited citizens’ arm for this purpose. Sec. 32. Appropriations. — The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations of the Commission. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continuous implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. In case of deficiency in the funding requirements herein provided, such amount as may be necessary shall be augmented from the current contingent fund in the General Appropriations Act. Sec. 33. Separability clause. — If, for any reason, any Sec. or provision of this Act or any part thereof, or the application of such Sec. , provision or portion is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder thereof shall not be affected by such declaration.