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Week 1 1. Benefit plans Employer-sponsored benefits reflect the culture and business of the organization, and plans should be crafted and selected accordingly. Think about your current (or former) organization's benefit plan. Did it help to improve the quality of your work as well as your personal life? Why or why not? Was it a generous benefits program or were there specific benefits you felt should have been included? We want more time off Today people are looking for benefits what will help them manage their work-life life-styles better.Today, with the help of technology, employer is now starting to be more capable of offering flexible options with great results. Time off, seems to be another area that, I think, needs major improvement across the whole country. The average of two weeks’ vacation is way below the standard offered in all other countries, even third world countries have mandated better time off benefits embedded in their labor laws. I feel that we Americans wo rk too hard, with little time to be more involved in raising our kids or even taking care of ourselves.No time for soccer practice with my kinds, no time to go to the gym so I can lose some weight, no time to cook a good health meal for the family. Our lives are hassle and hassle and hassle. To me, when it comes to benefits, time off carries a lot of weight. I rather have an additional week of vacation that 5K more in my pay. Benefit plans Our company is into sales, entertainment, sports. I think it would be kinda hard to model a plan accordingly. Our plans are more designed to the type of family you have because we have a big mixture of people.I personally am not covered so I can't really speak in terms of how it benefits my life. Of course I do have vacation time and such, which does allow me to take some to myself. One thing I think would help in my quality of work or personal life is a flexible schedule. What I do sometimes affect payroll, so I have to map out times off or half days. However there are times when I really could use off and not really need to be in, so I wouldn't mind working an extra hour each day to have a half day later, or coming in earlier so I can leave earlier.Mainly because I prefer working in teh morning. I feel it helps me stay more attentative. Benefit discussion Providing workers with paid vacation time is extremely common, and generally considered a low-cost benefit to offer. Two weeks paid leave is fairly standard for a small business in the U. S. Many companies start workers at two weeks and reward them with additional time off as they accrue seniority. Some companies will also pro-rate vacation time, so that new hires that start on or after July 1 are only offered a week's vacation time in their first year. . Benefit Planning Process (graded)| As part of conducting a benefit plan needs assessment, a human resource professional must consider the organization’s business strategy as well as its compensation philosophy. Wh at do you think is the next step that should be taken? What are some of the possible outcomes of a benefit plan needs assessment? depends of what stage of the life cycle of the organization is | Mark Lema | 4/25/2012 7:11:46 AM| | I guess It depends of what stage of the life cycle of the organization we are, and the industry we are.I think that if we are new start-up business in the technology industry, we might need the best talent out there; therefore our strategy should be to offer very competitive benefits to attract and retain the best. Specially if they are highly skilled and in big demand. If I were to be in the â€Å"decline† stage or the organization, I might have to reduce cost and offer cost effective benefits to offset the costs and minimize expenses. | | RE: depends of what stage of the life cycle of the organization is | Harpreet Sandhu | 5/4/2012 7:53:32 PM| | Modified:5/4/2012 7:54 PM | I agree with my classmates that first it all depends on what stage the org anization is in. Along with this in my opinion, the immediate external environment and the changing needs of the organization are the priority too. If there is lot of external competition then the organization might need to reevaluate its benefit plans to attract, retain and reward valued employees. In order to do this, human resources should conduct a thorough review of the current plan and gain a clear understanding of short and long term strategic and financial objectives. | What do you think is the next step that should be taken? | Catherine Flynn | 4/30/2012 11:46:54 AM| | I think they need to look at the employees themselves and what their needs are. Easier for smaller companies, but even for bigger companies you can do online surveys. Finding out what the employees want is kinda imperative because you may not have similar workers. You may have some single people who don't need child care benefits, or older people who are into saving more so would really be interested in a 401 k or Pension more than an FSA account necessarily. | RE: What do you think is the next step that should be taken? | Lynn Peirce | 5/1/2012 12:34:40 AM| | Hi Catherine, thanks for your post†¦. I think, as I have seen through my readings†¦ companies simply are not offering pension plans. I would rather have that than a 401K. I think compnies should use surveys and interviews with kep personnale to see what employees really want after a needs assessment†¦. I imagine the results would be surprising. Management always seems to be disconnected from the â€Å"real† hard working backbone employees. | | RE: What do you think is the next step that should be taken? | Aaron Jones | 5/1/2012 6:04:19 AM| | This is true but they should reconnect themselves so they can find out what is really going on with there employees, the hard backbone employees need to know that they are  notice for there hard work and when mangerment does   surveys and needs assessment this shows th e employees that the organzation is concern about there hard working employees. | | Outcomes of an assessment | Catherine Flynn | 5/1/2012 11:18:52 AM| | I'm not sure what the book says.However I would assume there could be many outcomes such as needs that might be too expensive to cover. Or perhaps not enough people want the same coverage or not enough people to meet the limit requirement for the insurance company. You can also find out that the benefit plan might not suit anyone at all and a serious change is needed. | | RE: Benefit Planning Process | Harpreet Sandhu | 5/6/2012 8:41:42 PM| | Most successful companies utilize business strategic planning to set priorities and goals for the organization's future; outcomes include short-term goals and long-term strategies.A clearly written, well designed strategic plan can align business units, divisions and employees so that the vision of the management team and the mission of the company can be fulfilled. As companies evolve and the environment changes it is critical for companies to maintain a disciplined execution of the strategic plan. However, if they are not aligned with the business strategy, are done independently, and are not linked to a multi-year strategy they can become a source of frustration and may create unintended outcomes.By adopting a strategic benefit planning process, companies can make decisions regarding their benefits and health care with significantly less stress. Addressing the changing environment of health care will be approached with a more thoughtful long-term perspective and will be tied to the values and philosophy of the   company. | benefit plan | Manqing Liu | 5/4/2012 10:36:41 PM| | There are several external environmental factors considered in strategic benefits planning: Industry prospects, economic conditions, and forecasts Employer costs for compensation and benefitsGovernment regulation of employee benefits Changing demographics of the labor force| Next Step | Natasha Wylie | 5/11/2012 2:13:56 PM| | I think the next logical step would be for the company to  do an evaluation  in terms of both cost and employee need, to maintain a balance between direct wages and benefits. Wage increases and benefit changes independently can lead to excessive increases in payroll costs where the organization loses control of the situation. When benefits or one benefits costs are rising quickly, it impacts the organization's ability to raise other parts of the compensation package. |Week 2 discussion Role of Government (graded)| Other than the mandates of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and a few other ineffectual reporting and disclosure requirements, benefit programs were practically unregulated by the federal government. Before the major shift that came with the enactment of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974, which was primarily aimed at traditional defined benefit (DB) pension plans but applicable to other employer sponsored retirem ent and benefit programs. What is the government’s current role in regulating the administration of employee benefits?Do you think there is too little or too much government intervention? Why? Role of the government | Aaron Jones | 5/5/2012 4:23:24 AM| | 1. * Government regulates retirement plans, health benefit coverages, unemployment insurance and workers' compensation benefits. Effects * Government regulation on unemployment insurance pays benefits to the unemployed. By regulating workers' compensation benefits, states can control the amount an insurer pays, the kind of drug testing it requires and whether businesses with fewer employees are exempt from these laws.With the 1974 Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the federal government establishes standards for retirement and health coverage that private businesses must offer. Liability * In states like North Carolina, the government subjects new employers to a standard tax rate at first. Once it has determine d their actual rate, the state's Employment Security Commission notifies the business by letter of its liability to pay unemployment taxes.Significance * Not only do federal and state regulations on benefits guarantee certain types of coverage, they also establish minimum reporting standards and disclosure requirements for businesses that must document their compliance. Size * An expansive program, ERISA regulates benefits given to a company's current and discontinued employees. It also mandates compliance with the Newborns' Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, to name a few. information from: Government Regulations on Employee Benefits | eHow. om http://www. ehow. com/facts_5554578_government-regulations-employee-benefits. html#ixzz1tzOVqKAW. | RE: Role of Government | Sylvia Privette | 5/6/2012 8:53:03 AM| | Lynn and Aaron I agree with both of you. I don't think the government intervenes eno ugh. I believe they waited to long to help with this issue as they do with all issues. They wait  until they are out of control or the government is tired of paying for the people because they are short on funds, so they attack. Had this issue been dealt with before the backlash would not be so drastic. As Aaron stated it took this particular president to do something.I look back at the wheel and the economy if you don't work for the big companies, then its difficult for the smaller ones to give great benefits. The Healthcare plan is a good one, but possible at an inconvenient time for companies financially. In response to Lynn I too believe the government should provide healthcare coverage but to the needy. If you are employed then your employer should offer heathcare and the employee should be covered, contributing or not. The government is now complaining that are not only giving health care to the needy and companies can help bare some of the cost.We all know healthcare is exp ensive | | RE: Role of Government | Manqing Liu | 5/12/2012 9:54:07 PM| | The government's role in the retirement income area has been dictated primarily by historical factors. Beginning in the late 19th century, the economy of the United States changed fairly rapidly from predominantly agricultural to predominantly industrial and service oriented. Coinciding with this change—and probably in response to it—the large, supportive extended family of the agricultural economy was largely replaced by smaller, more fragmented family units.The shift away from agriculture reduced the amount of economically useful work available to older people, and family structural changes reduced the amount of family support for the aged. | | RE: Role of Government | Aaron Jones | 5/7/2012 6:04:07 AM| | This is the way the system likes to operate, they will let an situation like this one get so far out of hand then have meeting about the matter and really get nothing done instead they fight o n issues that they know should have been address   long before Barack Obama came along.Now that he is here he just wants do do the job he was put in office for taking care the American people and use all the funds in a wisely matter so all can live a more comfortable life. Healthcare is expensive and with the right program in place the cost can be handle if they   take the right action regarding this matter. | Do you think there is too little or too much government intervention? Why? | Catherine Flynn | 5/9/2012 8:26:36 PM| | All benefits are so complex it takes a lot to work plans out, so having regulations I think is helpful.However I don't feel that the government should get more involved than they already are because I feel that they are almost trying to control what I can and cannot have, and that is what I don't agree with. I mentioned before about the Individual Mandate Clause in the new healthcare plan that is being voted on and I personally do not appreciate being told what I can and cannot buy. It should be my choice to purchase health insurance if I want it or not, and this clause is taking that choice away from me. | | Do you think there is too little or too much government intervention? Why? Norma Vega | 5/9/2012 11:32:52 PM| | I think there are too little. While there are some penalties and sanctions imposed by ERISA, through the Department of Labor, these are for violations on the administration of the employee benefits programs of those who voluntarily designed employee benefits plans. How about for those who opted not to voluntarily design employee benefits plans and programs? REFERENCES:Pndyck, Robert S. (2005). Microeconomics. Pearson Education, Inc. http://www. dol. gov/compliance/guide/erisa. htm#who | | To ensure there is fair environment for competition | Mark Lema | 5/10/2012 7:15:33 AM| In my opinion, the government’s role is to primarily set a minimum standard. As they do for the minimum wage. Then to enforce de law, and to ensure there is fair environment for competition and no monopolies are developed. Competition will drive the quality of benefits. | Government Mandates | Professor Blanco | 5/10/2012 1:12:34 PM| | Class-  Ã‚   intereesting that many of you feel that â€Å"government should provide benefits†. Let's take a look at that. Benefits are very expensive, we know. But why? What is driving the cost of these benefits? How do you propose the â€Å"government provided benefits† will be paid? | RE: Government Mandates | Crystal Johnson | 5/10/2012 4:30:08 PM| | One thing that is raising the cost of benefits is specialty drug prescriptions. Specialty drugs for   multiple sclerosis can cost $2,500 to $3,800 a month. The cost of staying alive on drugs is sky rocketing. Prescription drug companies are making a killing with their patents and over charge the public to fix erectile dysfunction or having long lashes. However, drugs that actually extend your life and true quality of lif e should be augmented so everyone can benefit or at least let people have reasonable access to them.I know that sex and long eye lashes are meaningful to quality of life, but not as much as asma medication or kidney cleansing  drugs for dialys patients. http://www. shrm. org/hrdisciplines/benefits/Articles/Pages/SpecialtyDrugs. aspx | | | RE: Government Mandates | Manqing Liu | 5/11/2012 11:15:52 PM| | I found something interesting about government provided benefits: A 2008 poll of 1,400 Americans by the Cornell Survey Research Institute found that when people were asked whether they had â€Å"ever used a government social program,† 57 percent said they had not.Respondents were then asked whether they had availed themselves of any of 21 different federal policies, including Social Security, unemployment insurance, the home-mortgage-interest deduction and student loans. It turned out that 94 percent of those who had denied using programs had benefited from at least one; the average respondent had used four. http://www. nytimes. com/2011/09/20/opinion/our-hidden-government-benefits. html| | | What is the government’s current role in regulating the administration of employee benefits | Natasha Wylie | 5/13/2012 5:43:14 PM| The  basis of ERISA is to provide protection of employee benefit rights. ERISA has a few major objectives, they are: To ensure that workers and beneficiaries receive adequate information about their plans To set standards od conduct for those managing employee benefits plans   and plan funds To determine that adequate funds are being set aside to pay promised pension benefits To ensure that workers receive pension benefits after they satisfied minimum requirements To safeguard pension benefits for workers whose pension plans are terminated | | | Do you think there is too little or too much government intervention?Why? | Natasha Wylie | 5/13/2012 6:05:23 PM| | I'm on the fence about whether there is too much government interv ention in the administering of employee benefits. I'm sure  that both sides could argue where oversight is needed and where there is too much involvement. Whether the oversight is handled by the government or another agency, I do believe that someone should look out for the best interest of employees, and ensure things related to benefits are handled in a proper manner. |Government Mandated Benefits (graded)| There are certain benefits that are legislatively mandated and cannot be altered or dropped by an organization for any reason other than the organization is closing its doors for good! Social Security and Medicare, unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, COBRA and FMLA are all federal and state mandated programs. What do you think determines the types of programs that the  government chooses to make mandatory? Do you feel these programs are efficient and effective?Why or why not? | Government Mandated Benefits | Lynn Peirce | 5/6/2012 2:55:19 AM| | My feeling is that the U. S. economy plays a large part in determining the types of programs the government makes mandatory, in order to help and protect U. S. citizens in times of need, for example, COBRA. Some of these programs go back many years in their enactment, such as the Social Security Act of 1935, when the U. S. had the foresight to help aid in retirement of older workers (and that was post-Depression and pre-WWII).Some of these programs are efficient, such unemployment insurance (even though it should last longer), and some are not, such as Medicare (seniors still have to purchase supplemental insurance or pay out-of-pocket costs). Social Security may not even be around in another 25 years. I think these programs started out well, and the intentions are good, but they became financially strapped. See http://www. socialsecurityreform. org/problem/index. cfm. | | RE: Government Mandated Benefits | Sylvia Privette | 5/6/2012 8:06:52 PM| | I agree with both of you.The government does w hat it feels is necessary when monies are tight for them and for companies. The state of the economy determines in which way the wheel should turn. If it too expensive for the government then they want more from employers, however they also know that employers will want something in return i. e. , tax incentives. The government should have stepped in long ago before these problems became bigger problems. Aaron you make a good point. The government should make sure that the employees they have working in these positions are educated nough to do so. The proper training and supervision is most important. Mishandling of funds is a big issue for the government and it seems as if they need the corporations help in bailing them out financially. I am grateful for the programs that the government has mandated, however, I think the government could regulate more benefits programs. | RE: Social Security ; Government Benefits | Lynn Peirce | 5/10/2012 11:03:05 PM| | Jill, as we discussed in cla ss, Social Security was implemented in 1935, after the Depression, and was only meant to be temporary.Since the system is already broken, and the government is trying to fix it, healthcare will be regulated by the federal government†¦ but as we discussed in class, Obamacare will have to be tweaked in order to satisfy those who are opposed to it, as well as make it more feasible to implement and operate. I imagine this will be  a nightmare. I found this great article about Social Security, written from the viewpoint of a sociologist, on the origins of Social Security and how it is being â€Å"reformed†: http://www2. ucsc. edu/whorulesamerica/power/social_security. tml If the current social security dliemma, is not fixed, I feel that the consequences will be dire. | Do you feel these programs are efficient and effective? Why or why not? | Natasha Wylie | 5/13/2012 7:35:53 PM| | Personally speaking I think that these programs are effective. I have used FMLA, after giving birth to my daughter. T he Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives eligible employees 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for themselves or a relative suffering from a serious health condition, a newborn baby, recently adopted child or a new foster child.Also covered are emergencies that occur when a relative who is a member of the National Guard or Reserves is called to active duty. To qualify, employees must work for a covered employer for a minimum of 1,250 hours during the designated 12-month qualifying period. Its a relief to not worry about securing your position while out on FMLA. There were times when if an employee needed to be out of work for and extended period of time, there positions weren't held. | Week 3 discussion Healthcare Cost Management (graded)|Many Americans benefit from the investments in healthcare; however, the recent cost growth, coupled with the economic downturn and rising national deficit, has placed a great strain on the financial systems used to finance hea lthcare, including private employer-sponsored health insurance coverage and public insurance programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. What is the responsibility of individuals for the cost of their care? Are health savings accounts and high-deductible insurance policies an approach that should be expanded? What are the concerns for low-income individuals?Healthcare cost management | Aaron Jones | 5/12/2012 7:12:54 AM| | The Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes a provision similar to AMA policy on individual responsibility, which is scheduled to take effect in 2014. The Congressional Budget Office predicts the ACA will expand coverage to 32 million more Americans by 2016. Several of the new benefits included in the health reform law, such as an end to coverage denials based on pre-existing conditions, are only made possible by increasing the number of Americans participating in the health insurance market.Individual responsibility for health insurance allows patients to take ownership of their health care needs, decreases the number of uninsured — now estimated at 50 million nationwide — and helps make popular insurance market reforms possible. By promoting individual responsibility and increasing the number of insured individuals, we improve the health of Americans and keep hidden costs from being passed along to all of us * HSA/HDHPs are a highly tax-advantaged savings vehicle appealing to people who have high incomes and to those who are expected to have low use of health care services.For the uninsured, these approaches are less attractive since they often have low income and neither benefit significantly from the tax advantages now have the financial assets necessary to cover the large deductibles associated with the plans. * Their ability to reduce system-wide spending is very limited. * The plans have the potential to increase segmentation of health care risk in private insurance markets unless employers set premiums to offset the healthier s election into the plans or government subsidizes the higher costs associated with the remaining non-HSA market.The plans have thus far been less attractive that prononents envisioned, the authors add, so their potentially negative ramifications on populations with high medical needs have been limited. However, they say, â€Å"efforts to expand enrollment in these plans through further tax incentives, for example, could place growing financial burdens on those least able to absorb them, leading to more barriers to medical care for the low-income and the sick and fewer insurance options. www. rwjf. org/pr/product. | Healthcare Cost Management | Lynn Peirce | 5/12/2012 10:39:30 PM| I think that individuals should be responsible for their own healthcare, whenever possible and affordable, but since the economy has been so bad for so long, a lot of people go without, which places a strain on the financial systems used to finance government-managed programs. I, myself, am fortunate enough to receive Medicaid, but it was not handed to me, as one must be medically-needy (an individual can make $47,500 per year and receive Medicaid). There are two programs within Medicaid in New Jesey, one is the Workability Program, which I am in; the other is for people who are unable to work.Health insurance is very expensive for employers ot provide, as we have been discusssing in class the past few weeks. I feel that high-deductible policies are not the way to go, but health savings accounts may be a great option to explore. The concerns for low-income individuals are that they simply do not have the means to invest in a health-savings account, and if they don't qualify for Medicaid, they are stuck in clinic care, which doesn't really do the job. â€Å"More than 60 percent of nonelderly Americans receive health-insurance (HI) coverage through employers, either as policyholders or as dependents.However, rising health-care costs are leading many to question the long-term viability of the employer-based insurance system. Concerns about the economic burden of providing HI are particularly acute for small businesses, which are both less likely than larger firms to offer HI and more sensitive to price when deciding to offer insurance. Small firms may have difficulty containing costs due to their limited bargaining power and their inability to hire experts skilled in negotiating with insurance companies.Further, while few recent studies have systematically explored differences in the quality of HI plans that small and large firms offer, small firms may offer health plans of lower quality† (http://www. rand. org/pubs/technical_reports/TR559. html). | Healthcare Cost Management | Norma Vega | 5/13/2012 11:20:31 PM| | I would say it depends on the institution. There are great medical facilities all over the US but many are closing down because of different law violations. I think it is a mix of both money and helping patients though. The good facilities I think concentrate on the genuinely helping people part from top down.As they hire staff, I would hope that is one requirement they look for while in the interview process. I think with a good staff and employees that truly care and provide excellent service are the ones that are successful and make more money. | The importance of becoming a smart consumer | Mark Lema | 5/15/2012 1:30:07 PM| | Becoming a smart consumer is a must when it comes to utilizing your healthcare benefits. The high cost of benefits is not under the control of employers, therefore, employer have no option but to offer all other   possible options to reduce the cost of healthcare and minimize the passing of that cost to their employees.Unfortunately, there is very little employers can do. As they cost for healthcare increases, employer have to become more creative in developing a healthcare pla that will not upset employees and   that will not place the company on bankruptcy. HSA and FSA type of accounts are som e of those alternatives that employer use to help employees better manage their healthcare costs. Unfortunately, the lack of understanding how these plans work, and the fact that it requires a lot of time andn preparation to comply with the processes  and submit receipts, has pushed back many current and potential participants.In my case these option do help. My wife, who is the smart one, fully understands the procedures and requirements of HASs and FSAs and has save us   in the last years 100’s of dollars in healthcare costs, this dedication and full understanding of my family healthcare needs, has by far offset the time-burden it requires to manage them. | | What are the concerns for low-income individuals? | Catherine Flynn | 5/16/2012 5:17:20 PM| | For low income families it's a big struggle to be able to afford insurance. Sometimes it can even be something that they just don't think about cause it may not be the firs thing on their mind.When you're worrying about ot her bills, that could take precedent over insurance. Until someone gets sick, then you realize that on top of all the bills, you need money for when you or your child is sick or needs hospital care. For my family when I was growing up, we knew insurance was important because I was a pretty sick kid, so I was always needing doctor visits and medicines, and of course ER visits since I was also clumsy. Then my mother's health started to decline as I got older. So having some sort of insurance was extremely important and I always knew that it's beneficial to have some type of funds available should emergencies occur.When I was in college there were a few years I had to go without benefits. Today and even then I felt extremely lucky I didn't get sick because if I had I would have had a lot of bills. Not only because of that but because My mother and I had assistance, I'm very grateful for it. However not everyone has that, and not everyone is eligible for it because they work. But their salaries may not be enough to get them health care, so they have the option of finding a job that might offer benefits, or get a second job to try and get a plan on their own.It can be very difficult, and it's something you need to ask yourself. Are you going to try your hardest to protect yourself with insurance, or are you going to risk it? I think it depends alot on each persons circumstances. | What are the concerns for low-income individuals? | Michael McArdle | 5/18/2012 10:43:39 AM| | Personally I just feel that low-income people are in trouble of never being able to afford healthcare. There are people that can go to Health Clinics but there is still a fee of $5, $10 or $20, based on income level, and many people cannot even afford to pay the amounts that are listed.Sometimes when I visit to see the Dentist because I don't a dental plan, I pay $20, I hear the stories of the people talking to each other makes me almost want to melt in my seat hearing about their life stories a nd the struggles they have. It is just so sad that all of these people I see in the waiting room are unable to afford to see a Family Doctor, it makes me feel sad. | RE: What are the concerns for low-income individuals? | Aly Traore | 5/18/2012 4:34:25 AM| | what you said is very true and sad, but unfortunately it is the reality. n my opinion, to better live in USA in these days, you have to be at least in middle class that is the level where you can benefit from the system of economy in particular healthcare system. â€Å"low- income† is just a beautiful word to cover the word â€Å"poor† in the government vocabulary. | | Consumer Driven Healthcare (graded)| Consumer driven healthcare has become popular over the past few years as employees seek tax advantages and cost savings on healthcare. What are some of the key features of a consumer driven healthcare plan? Does your company currently offer any of these plans?If so, are you taking advantage of them? Why or why not ? | RE: Consumer Driven Healthcare | Sylvia Privette | 5/15/2012 10:02:36 PM| | Lynn  I agree, with healthcare becoming more and more expensive, for the little things people are starting to self heal as much as possible. Those over the counter medicines are on the rise for purchases because its cheaper. Individuals wait until self healing is no longer working to go to the doctor. I am starting to see more people looking for the cheaper health plans. The plans offered by the government based on income determines your contribution.Some of these plans depending on pay scale are cheaper the what employers are asking. Also free clinics are on the rise for health care, the medical buses we see sometimes like to get your blood pressure checked, or free screenings, free flu shots, mammograms and the use of the department of health especially for children. These are some of the cheaper ways people are staring to use. | | | RE: Consumer Driven Healthcare | Manqing Liu | 5/20/2012 10:49:22 P M| | Many large employers are offering consumer-driven plans, also known as high-deductible plans.These plans require employees and beneficiaries to be more involved, not less, in health care issues. Employee health and well-being affect not only absenteeism, but also bottom-line issues such as disability, workers compensation, and productivity. | | RE: Consumer Driven Healthcare | Aaron Jones | 5/16/2012 4:23:00 AM| | With the high cost that comes with healthcare people are becoming smart consumers when looking for the right healthcare package, it may not have all the benefits people are looking for but as long is the price is right people will just get what they can afford these days.Free clinics, over the counter medicines, whatever will work for that person helps the consumer deal better with healthcare issues. | | consumer-driven plans | Mark Lema | 5/16/2012 1:17:52 PM| | The term consumer-driven evolved out of a concept of a defined contribution in contrast to a defined benef it. Many large employers are offering consumer-driven plans, also known as high-deductible plans. These plans require employees and beneficiaries to be more involved, not less, in health care issues.Employee health and well-being affect not only absenteeism, but also bottom-line issues such as disability, workers compensation, and productivity. | Does your company currently offer any of these plans? If so, are you taking advantage of them? Why o | Catherine Flynn | 5/16/2012 5:22:55 PM| | Our company offers two separate plans, and one of them does fall under this category. Alot of our employees actually do take advantage of this particular plan versus our personal choice plan. I however do not, so unfortunately I lack alot of the specifics about it.I think our biggest question right now is what's going to happen in June, because that will affect our negotiation meetings with our brokers that are coming up soon. It could not change at all, or it could change completely. I will say th at because I'm not to familiar with both plans yet I can't say that I know which one is best for me. I do know however that I am very prone to getting sick, and often, so I suppose that would play a big factor in my choice of benefits. | | RE: Does your company currently offer any of these plans?If so, are you taking advantage of them? W | Aaron Jones | 5/17/2012 4:48:37 AM| | This is a tough situation to be in but like most companies we all have to sit back and look over the choices we have when it comes to making the right choice for health care and I am sure you will sit down and make the best choice for you and your family. Just pray that the company does not make to many changes to the healthcare and if they do it works out for all that is involved in this situation. Good Luck! consumer driven healthcare | Aly Traore | 5/17/2012 10:14:56 PM| | consumer-driven health care is a good idea, and even better a good system, but with a deregulated health care system environment, it wil l be very hard for employee to stick to it for long, because the cost of health care is increasing every day. in my opinion, to be better enjoy all the health care benefits, the system has to be regulated. | | Does your company currently offer any of these plans? | Michael McArdle | 5/18/2012 10:51:13 AM| Our company does offer a lower cost plan if a person has a primary doctor, and it does cost less than a PPO, however the cost of seeing a doctor is still very high, close to $50, and if someone gets a prescription, they pay close to the full price that the prescription would have been to someone without insurance, so overall it is worth paying more for a PPO because the cost to see a doctor or get a prescription is much lower, and if you have a major accident and need surgery, a person is more likely to get the treatment they need over not getting help if their insurance was low cost and does not cover surgeries for emergencies. FSA's | Natasha Wylie | 5/20/2012 1:25:27 PM| | My co mpany offers flexible spending accounts. Flexible Spending Accounts permit employees to pay for specified health care cost that are not covered by an employee's insurance plan. For the upcoming benefit year I did elect a pre=tax contribution to FSA. This year I expect to have dental work done   and having access to the money upfront and pre-tax is an added and much needed benefit. | | RE: FSA's | Norma Vega | 5/21/2012 6:39:29 PM| | Hello Natasha,Same here.I am going to be getting some dental work as well as some minor nasal corrective surgery done and being able to pay the $500 out of pocket cost with a pre tax card is such a luxury. I really have no idea how anyone could not like these benefits. I think it comes down to people being scared of having money taken out, not realizing they’re going to spend it anyway post tax. I also think that some people can’t comprehend exactly how much they are saving from taxes. | What are some of the key features of a consumer dri ven healthcare plan? | Natasha Wylie | 5/20/2012 1:38:03 PM| The key features of consumer driven health care plans are: It helps employers maintain control over cost Enables employees to lower the cost of insurance premiums through high deductibles Puts a restriction on employees ability to make choices about who they want to receive treatment though via in ; out of network providers | | key features of a consumer driven healthcare plan | Manqing Liu | 5/20/2012 10:42:17 PM| | Transforming the third-party reimbursement system into one that puts economic purchasing power — and decision-making — in the hands of the consumer.Supplying the information and decision support tools needed, along with financial incentives, rewards and other benefits that encourage personal involvement in altering health and health care purchasing behaviors. Letting consumers, rather than health plans, control health care decisions. | Week 4 discussion Life Insurance Plans (graded)| A major conc ern for most employees is caring for their families in the event of the employee’s death. Many employers provide life insurance for employees. Does your organization offer a group insurance policy?If so, what is the basic plan design of your organization’s life insurance policy, and for  how much are you covered? RE: Group life insurance plans | Manqing Liu | 5/27/2012 10:52:00 PM| | Group life insurance is term insurance covering a group of people, usually employees of a company or members of a union or association. Individual proof of insurability is not normally a consideration in the underwriting. Rather, the underwriter considers the size, turnover and financial strength of the group. Contract provisions will attempt to exclude the possibility of adverse selection.Group life insurance often includes a provision for a member exiting the group to buy individual coverage. | Group life insurance plans | Aaron Jones | 5/19/2012 7:08:48 AM| | There are three different types of group insurance and this company uses number one for there employees from what I was reading out of the company policy. 1) Basic group term life—This is the most typical coverage, providing basic coverage and often paid for by the employer. The premiums (up to $50,000) paid for by the employer are considered to be an employee income tax-free benefit. ) Supplemental group term life—Often offered by employers in conjunction with a basic group term life policy, this type of coverage provides the flexibility for the employee to purchase additional amounts of coverage. The employee chooses the type and amount of coverage to suit personal needs and circumstances and pays the cost for the premiums. 3) Portable term life—Employees who lose the employer’s group eligibility (they either leave the group or retire) can take this coverage with them to continue their insurance protection generally until they reach age 70.They make their payments directly to t he insurer, many times through electronic funds transfers. From what I saw when I was reading the company policy when it comes to life insurance they use the typical coverage for there employees, they have there reasons why they do things the way they do it because everybody have different reasons for life insurance mostly this company uses number  1 for there employees. | Life Insurance Plans | Catherine Flynn | 5/20/2012 2:46:40 PM| | We offer voluntary life insurance plans for employee, their spouse, and dependents. Each are available in increments of $10,000.Each plan has a maximum benefit of $500,000 except for dependents, this insurance is only available in $2,500, $5,000, $7,000 or $10,000. This is only available for 30 days after you acquire the dependent (birth, marriage, adoption). I personally feel as though it's important for me to make sure my family, even though small, should be protected if I can afford it. Accidents happen, and if I have the available funds why not put money away for that purpose? I've always been a squirrel when it comes to money so saving plans like these are a good fit for me. | Commonwealth life insurance plan | Crystal Johnson | 5/20/2012 7:22:50 PM| From what I understand, my life insurance plan matches my base pay. Base pay is $20,000 to $25, 000 less than my actually income because of the amount of over time that I do. If I get killed on state property  it suppose to be three times my base pay. Rumored has it that the hostage situation that happened in 1998 where a staff was killed by another staff member the grieving family had to go to court to get the triple pay out. The insurance company said that the death was not caused by a patient so they did not want to pay. Even though the killer staffer was upset about upper management decision to fire him.Group Life InsuranceThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides life insurance coverage for permanent employees through The Prudential Insurance Company of America. The a mount of life insurance is equal to your annual salary (rounded to the nearest $1,000) as of the date of hire, up to a maximum of $40,000. The amount of insurance is adjusted on January 1 of each year to account for pay changes. There is a 90-day waiting period from your date of hire before coverage takes effect. Eligible employees will receive a â€Å"Welcome Kit† from Prudential within three months of hire.The kit will include the Booklet/Certificate that confirms coverage and outlines the contract provisions that apply, as well as a Group Insurance Beneficiary Designation/Change form. | | RE: Commonwealth life insurance plan | Natasha Wylie | 5/28/2012 11:34:36 AM| | Life insurance should really be called â€Å"death insurance. † Like other types of insurance, life insurance is protection against the unknown. When you buy life insurance, you're paying for the peace of mind that your family will be taken care of in the event of your sudden demise. Life insurance is t he life jacket in the fishing boat..You hope to never have to use it, but it's nice to know it's there. Some people call life insurance gambling. They think that you're throwing away a bunch of money on the off chance that you'll die young. But when life insurance is handled correctly, it isn't gambling at all. It's simply part of a larger economic plan whose goal is the financial security of your family. It's a shame that often times its not handled correctly. | Imputed Income | Crystal Johnson | 5/24/2012 5:55:52 PM| | Income that may not be seen as cash, but instead comes in the form of a benefit†¦ ometimes by having another pay an expense†¦ sometimes by having a benefit provided. Examples: The value of a car provided by your employer that you may use for personal use. That value is imputed income. Likewise, the value of having some other benefits – over $50,000 a year of life insurance provided by your employer (the value of the insurance is imputed income). An employer sponsored (even if what it does just work to make the costs lower) of an on site cafeteria – imputed benefit. Having a below market rate loan†¦ that some employers provide certain employees†¦ he lower interest that they forgoe is a benefit to you†¦ and hence imputed income. Read more: http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_is_imputed_income#ixzz1vpnMNB4x| Definition of Imputed Income | Lynn Peirce | 5/24/2012 9:33:06 PM| | As per our discussion in class tonight, imputed income is defined, as follows: â€Å"Imputed income is the addition of the value of cash/non-cash compensation to an employees’ taxable wages in order to properly withhold income and employment taxes from the wages. Imputed income is taxable to the assignee (unless specifically exempt).Because it is delivered for the performance of services (related to employment) it must be included in the assignee's Form W-2 to accurately reflect the assignee's taxable wage-related income† (se e http://definitions. uslegal. com/i/imputed-income/). I didn't want to add too much because Crystal also defined it in her post. | | Life Insurance | Natasha Wylie | 5/28/2012 11:28:45 AM| | Employee sponsored life insurance gives employees a peace of mind in the event of death. Having life insurance relieves some of the financial burden left on grieving loved ones.Employee-sponsored life insurance   protects family members by paying a specified amount to n employees beneficiary upon the employees death. | Disability Plans (graded)| In addition to replacing household income when an employee either retires or is no longer working, he or she may also carry some type of income-replacement plan in the event they become disabled. Does your current (or former) employer offer disability coverage for employees? What are the specifics of your coverage? Do you feel the need to purchase supplemental disability insurance? Why or why not? | RE: Disability coverage | Crystal Johnson | 5/22/201 2 2:08:29 AM| Jobs that offer short term disability insurance as part of a benefit's package creates more loyalty in employees than jobs that do not offer it. Human beings are going to acquire bumps and bruises as part of the â€Å"age and wisdom† baggage. Short term disability insurance gives you the luxury to fully heal while keeping a roof over your head and raman noodles on your plate. When employees know  that they  will be able to recuperate without financial stresses  from standing-on-the-stool-to-change -a-light-but-crashed-landed-into-the-wall, they are more willing to go stay where they are appreciated and valued. Disability Coverage | Lynn Peirce | 5/20/2012 1:51:31 AM| | Of course, the firm I currently work for does not offer disability insurance; since I am a Medicaid recipient, I currently would not need it. As far as purchasing supplemental disability insurance, I found an example of coverage from Combined Insurance Company, as follows: â€Å"Disability income insurance is paid directly to you for covered disability for up to two years* when you are totally disabled and can't work due to accident or sickness. You are protected, on or off the job, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.You are considered totally disabled when you are under the regular care of a physician and are unable to perform the substantial and material duties of your own occupation. Income Protector works in conjunction with Social Security and Workers' Compensation to help you maximize your benefits. When no social benefit** is paid, Combined Insurance pays you the full benefit amount of your selected plan. When a social benefit is paid, our disability income protection makes up any shortfall between your target replacement paycheck and your social benefit payment. ** However, Combined Insurance will never pay less than 40% of the benefit amount purchased† (http://www. combinedinsurance. com/insurance-types/disability-insurance. html). I think it is probably a good idea, if you have a family and can afford it, but on the other hand, we are already paying into Disability, and it seems like another money-maker for insurance companies. I mean, there is insurance for just about everything anymore (like pet insurance). How far does it go, and how much should an employer provide when the cost of health insurance is already so high? | | Aflac | Crystal Johnson | 5/20/2012 7:38:08 PM| | I am not a saver. I know I should be more responsible and put money away  for rainy days. I know that I should put away 10% of my income for  life's  financial thunderstorms. I don't have a financial  umbrella. I like dancing in the rain so I got Aflac. Aflac  gave our union a group rate for  disability insurance and secondary life insurance. My coworkers  allowed Aflac to  take out money out of their check because the wanted a stronger piece of mind and  plan  B to their savings plan.I choose to have Aflac take out money out of my  check be cause I cant be trusted to do it myself. | | RE: Disability Plans | Lynn Peirce | 5/23/2012 5:08:32 PM| | They have to pay people/employees to do this, so they have to make it worth everyone's while. The cost to the employer has to be validated in order for it to continue. | | RE: supplemental disability insurance | Aaron Jones | 5/24/2012 6:21:07 AM| | I am sure that a whole lot of people will need this type of insurance when they get to a point in their life and hopefully the insurance will cover the things they will need cover once it kicks in.The rules always change when the person really needs this type of coverage this is why the person must make sure evrything is still good before the insurance is needed. | Disbility plans | Harpreet Sandhu | 5/23/2012 10:20:53 PM| | Short term disability insurance can replace a portion of income during the initial weeks of a disabling illness or accident whereas, long term disability can replace a portion of income after those initial weeks, for an extended period. Some people have one or both of these through their employer.Many people also choose to purchase individual disability insurance on their own. Individual Disability Income Insurance can provide protection for people who do not have disability insurance available through their workplace or may be used to supplement group coverage through their workplace. Some of the benefits of MetLife’s Individual Disability Income Insurance include: Monthly Benefit Payments—after an initial waiting period, benefits are paid for each month you can’t work through the policy’s maximum benefit period.Noncancelable and Guaranteed Renewable Coverage Available – Provided premiums are paid on time, MetLife cannot cancel or change your coverage or premium rates until the first premium due date on or after your 67th birthday. www. metlife. com/individual/insurance/disability-insurance/index. html | | Do you feel the need to purchase supplemental dis ability insurance? | Manqing Liu | 5/25/2012 8:13:45 PM| | Most people don't realize the risk of becoming disabled, permanently or temporarily, at some point in their lives. But the reality is that at age 40, your chances of becoming disabled for 90 days or more prior to age 65 is 43%. Source: 2004 Field Guide, National Underwriter). I think it is necessary to purchase a disability insurance. | | RE: Do you feel the need to purchase supplemental disability insurance? | Aly Traore | 5/25/2012 8:49:59 PM| | why would you want to buy an additional insurance, if you can invest your money somewhere else to make profit over the time period. in my opinion,   I think if your goal is to buy that supplemental insurance just to have more money in a case where you get disable or retired,   this is not a good option. | RE: Mental Health Paridy Act | Sylvia Privette | 5/25/2012 8:46:06 PM| | Modified:5/25/2012 8:47 PM | The Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA) provides for parity in the applicatio n of aggregate lifetime and annual dollar limits on mental health benefits with dollar limits on medical/surgical benefits. A plan that does not impose an annual or lifetime dollar limit on medical and surgical benefits may not impose such a dollar limit on mental health benefits offered under the plan. MHPA does not apply to benefits for substance abuse or chemical dependency. Health plans are not required to include mental health benefits in their benefits package. MHPA only applies to those plans that do offer mental health benefits. ttp://www. dol. gov/dol/topic/health-plans/mental. htm | | disability benefit | Manqing Liu | 5/26/2012 9:44:15 PM| | Monthly disability benefit depends on your average lifetime earnings. The amount also may be affected by your receipt of other government benefits. If you are getting workers' compensation, civil service, military, state temporary disability or state and local retirement benefits based on disability, the total amount combined with you r Social Security disability benefits may not exceed 80 percent of your average earnings at the time of your disability.Should your total government benefit go over that amount, your Social Security benefit will be reduced. Disability payments from private sources do not affect your SSDI benefits. | Does your current (or former) employer offer disability coverage for employees? | Natasha Wylie | 5/28/2012 12:35:42 PM| | My organization offers short and long term disability. Short-term disability provides income if employees are not able to work due to a non-work related illness or injury.Long-term disability coverage allows employees to continue receiving a portion of their salary for a period of time if they are disabled and cannot perform the duties of your regular job or injured. This employer-provided benefit provides 60 percent of base pay up to $10,000 per month maximum. | Disability Plans | Natasha Wylie | 5/28/2012 1:43:49 PM| | There are  four laws that influence the desi gn and implementation of company sponsered disability plans: ERISA ADEA The americans with disabilities Act State   Workers compensation and Social Secuity Disability Regulations |

Botany of a City Essay

The story of each community can be determined by its plant life. Plant life can determine what will inhabit the area and what the economy will thrive on. Atlanta, Georgia is no exception. When the first European explorers reached the upper Piedmont of Georgia, it was already inhabited by Creek Indians, also known as the Muskogee. The Creek Indians believed that there were supernatural powers attributed to all natural things. They used many plants in healing the sick and also believed that there were plants that would provide them with greater hunting powers. The majority of Creek territory was located in the hilly Piedmont. The vegetation was an oak-pine forest, composed of a mixed growth of oak, pine, sassafras, chestnut, and hickory trees. In Indian Territory, Creek lands were a mosaic of oak woodland, tall-grass prairie, and bottomland hardwood forest changing to a mixed long and short-grass prairie on the western periphery of their region. The bulk of the area encompassed a forested belt known as the Cross Timbers. â€Å"Creek Indians chose to settle in stream bottomlands, and tried to avoid the heavily timbered and tall-grass prairie areas. They favored areas that provided reliable wood qand water sources. Limited agriculture, widespread livestock husbandry, and increasingly dispersed tribal towns continued to characterize the Creek landscape. † (Swanton, 2000) This inhabitation of the Creek Indians extended into the early 1800s. The Decatur area was treatied over from the Creeks in 1820. Many people assume that Native Americans left the forests virtually untouched; however, this is not true. Native Americans cleared, farmed, and burned the landscape of Georgia, in some areas greatly impacting and changing the natural landscape. In the Atlanta area, indigenous populations apparently never attained sizable numbers. Therefore, their influence on the present Atlanta landscape probably was minimal. (Swanton, 2000) Many plants native to the Atlanta area were used by both the Indians and others for their medicinal value. The cornus florida (Dogwood tree) is a flowering tree that will reach a height of 25 feet at maturity with a 25 foot spread. A variety of Dogwood trees can be found throughout the country, but the red Dogwood is more common to the southern regions of the country. The red Dogwood grows in acidic, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, well drained, clay soils. The red Dogwood has red blooms that appear in the spring. This tree has glossy, red fruit eaten by birds when ripened in the fall. Flowering dogwood was used medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes who valued it especially for its astringent and antiperiodic properties. The dried root-bark is antiperiodic, astringent, diaphoretic, mildly stimulant and tonic. The flowers are said to have similar properties. A tea or tincture of the astringent root bark has been used as a quinine substitute to treat malaria and also in the treatment of chronic diarrhea. The bark has also been used as a to treat external ulcers and wounds. The inner bark was boiled and the tea drunk to reduce fevers and to restore a lost voice. A compound infusion of the bark and the root has been used in the treatment of various childhood diseases such as measles and worms. It was often used in the form of a bath. The fruits are used as a bitter digestive tonic. The 1830s to the 1930s was the time of great expansion of agriculture in the Georgia Piedmont. Cotton was a primary crop and land that was flat enough to plow became agricultural land. Even areas of forests were cleared for the production of cotton. This left the ground unprotected from erosion and the loss of topsoil. Cotton as a crop drains the soil of nutrients and in the 1930s the soils became poor. Many farms went bankrupt and farmers abandoned their fields. It wasn’t long before the pines quickly reclaimed most fields, and forestry became the agriculture of the Piedmont. Pines could survive in the poor soils, and the Piedmont gradually reforested, although it has not returned to its original state. From 1930 to 1960, Atlanta slowly grew from a primarily suburban and rural city to a large urban city. Further growth took place from 1965 to present. This period of time saw tremendous residential, industrial, and transportation growth. Atlanta became the great international city that it is today. This expansion eliminated many of our trees, changed drainage patterns, increased impermeable surfaces, and fragmented and isolated habitat patches. (Livingston & Shreve, 1921) Cotton was a primary contributing factor to the growth of Atlanta’s agricultural industry. Cotton grows in a warm climate, with rich soil. Cotton requires a 160-day frost free growing period. Cotton is unique in that the entire plant can be utilized in different ways. The fiber or lint is used in making cotton cloth. Linters provide cellulose for making plastics, explosives, high quality paper products and processed into batting for padding mattresses, furniture and automobile cushions. The cotton seed is crushed and separated, with the oil being used for cooking, and the hulls being used as meal for livestock, or fertilizer. Cotton is a labor intensive crop and expanded the role of slavery in the south. Without the use of slave labor, it is unlikely that farmers would have been able to produce enough cotton to survive. Prior to the Civil War, the cotton industry was challenged as slaves and land became more expensive and harder to find. Farmers tried to plant cotton anywhere they could find, using even poor soil. Cotton growing was proving to be profitable and anyone who could take part in the industry did. With the use of slave labor and the boom of the cotton industry, there became a division of class and race in Atlanta’s society. (www. georgianencyclopedia. com) As a mainstay of the Atlanta agriculture, cotton expositions became a way for Atlanta to attract visitors and expand their economy. Atlanta held its first cotton exposition, the International Cotton Exposition in 1881. The purpose of the exposition was to expand trade, and boost the economy. The International Cotton Exposition was host to more than 200,000 people and lasted for two and a half months. Those who promoted and hosted the exposition were doing so to expand the economy and create an industrial center in Atlanta. The fierce competition in the cotton industry would also lead to the demise of the Atlanta countryside, as farmers leveled forests in order to create more land for the farming of cotton. (Parkins, 1938) The yellow pines played a major role in the development of the railroad in Atlanta and the railroad provided for the growth and expansion of Atlanta and its economy. It was the growth and expansion of the agriculture surrounding Atlanta that created the need for expansion in the transportation industry, namely the railroad. Effective and efficient transportation was needed. Atlanta was growing at rate faster than any other southern city. Competition between communities in the south propelled the expansion of the railroad to Atlanta. Local politicians were aware that transportation would provide for economic prosperity. Atlanta was given railroad connections with the seacoast in 1845. Atlanta’s growth was in part due to its geographic location. The creation of the southern terminus of the first railroad in northern Georgia, the Western and Atlantic, fixed its location and it became a crossroads of railroads in the early 1850’s when a line was built northwestward from Augusta and another from Atlanta to Montgomery. The railroad also brought with it challenges during the Civil War. As a central hub, it was the seat of large manufactures for the Confederate army and a depot for supplies, and sustained major damage during the war. The railroad provided Atlanta with an ability to maintain its trade with the world. (Parkins, 1938) Atlanta was rich in resources to assist in building the railroad. The yellow pines were used as railroad ties and provided timber for construction. The Longleaf Pine is an evergreen that grows mainly along the southern border and the western edge of the United States. In its mature state it will 60 to 80 feet in height, with a 30 to 40 foot spread. The Longleaf Pine grows in alkaline, loamy, rich, wide range, clay soils. The Longleaf Pine thrives in full sun to partial shade. The Longleaf Pine trunk has scaly, coarse, light, orange-brown bark with upright branches forming an oval, open crown. The flexible, dark green needles are up to 18†³ long, and the large, spiny cones are up to 10†³ long and may persist on the tree for two years. For the first five to seven years, the pine stays in a tufted, grass-like stage after germination, growing slowly while the root system develops. It is drought tolerant once the tree is established. Following the grass stage, it grows at a medium to fast rate. The inch long clusters of new growth are silver white during the winter. The roots are sensitive to disturbance during construction. This tree provides food and cover for wildlife, including the now endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. Squirrels, quails, brown-headed nuthatches, and turkeys eat the seeds. (www. georgianencyclopedia. org) Today only 3 million acres across the South contain some longleaf forests, and of that only about 12,000 scattered acres retain an old-growth component with a biologically diverse understory. One study estimates that Georgia maintained more than 4 million acres of longleaf forest in 1936, while just 376,400 acres remained in 1997. The longleaf pine is considered to be the dominant tree species in this ecosystem and is essential to its existence. It is in its understory where the diversity of this system exists and has therefore been threatened. â€Å"In fact, the longleaf pine, grassland forest may well be the most diverse North American ecosystem north of the tropics, containing rare plants and animals not found anywhere else. The understory throughout the longleaf range contains from 150 to 300 species of groundcover plants per acre, more breeding bird than any other southeastern forest type, about 60 percent of the amphibian and reptile species found in the Southeast, and at least 122 endangered or threatened plant species. † (www. georgianencyclopedia. org) Atlanta is a city rich in history and diversity, much of which was created and sustained by its ecology and plant life. It was the plant life that sustained the Creek Indians until their expulsion. Plants, such as the cornus florida were used medicinally among many others. In a time period when modern medicine was not available, it is likely that these medicinal plants played a critical role in everyday life. The role of cotton in the development and subsequent effects to Atlanta cannot be overstated. As a primary crop, it afforded for the growth of the city but came with a cost to its environment and to its citizens. The cotton industry is largely responsible for the race relations and much of the civil unrest that occurred in Atlanta and the southern regions of the United States. Competition that took place for resources resulted in the destruction of forest lands and the establishment of a class society. Cotton also took its toil on the very soil in which it was grown, depleting it of nutrients needed to grow further crops. Although it was important to the economy of the Atlanta area, the result of forced growth and competition was not a successful venue for Atlanta. The Longleaf Pine was only one of a large variety of pine trees that grow in the Atlanta area. The Longleaf Pine provided high-quality lumber for building materials; raw materials for the naval stores industry, and forage for livestock. As with other resources in the Atlanta area, the overuse of forest lands, and the competition for resources depleted the forest and led to a decline in the population of the Longleaf pine. The creation of a large-scale timber industry furthered the decline of the forest area. Atlanta, rich in resources, is a good example of poor management of the land by it inhabitants. Resources that were once plentiful were depleted in order to build industry and create profits. Works Cited Livingston, Burton E. , and Forrest Shreve. The Distribution of Vegetation in the United States: As Related to Climatic Conditions. Washington, DC: Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1921. Questia. 26 Jan. 2007 . New Georgia Encyclopedia. The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem. www. georgianencyclopedia. com 26 Jan. 2007 < http://www. georgiaencyclopedia. org/nge/Article. jsp? id=h-2200&hl=y> Parkins, A. E. The South: Its Economic-Geographic Development. New York: Wiley, 1938. Questia. 26 Jan. 2007 . Swanton, John R. Creek Religion and Medicine. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2000. Questia. 26 Jan. 2007 . Tang, Anthony M. Economic Development in the Southern Piedmont, 1860-1950: Its Impact on Agriculture. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1958. Questia. 26 Jan. 2007 .

Outsiders Book and Movie Comparison Essay

The book and the movie of the Outsiders are two very different stories. The book has so much more detail then the movie. The movie is not the most detailed but it does get its point across. There are may similarities and also many differences between the two the book is by far more interesting and more detailed then the movie. I enjoyed the book a lot and the movies a lot but the movie was missing a lot. A few similarities between the movie and book are that the movie still has the complete Greaser gang Pony, Johnny, Soda, Darry, Dally, Two-Bit and Steve. They still have some of the more sad part like when Johnny and Dally die. There is still lots of conflict between the Greasers and the Soc’s. There is still the situation where Johnny kills one of the Soc’s and Johnny and Ponyboy both skip town. They still go to the church and hide out for 5 days. They still save the little kids from the burning church house. They still have the rumble and they also still win it. The settings are both still the same they both take place in Tulsa Oklahoma in the mid 1960’s. They both still have the same conflicts and the same out comes to the conflicts. Both the book and the movies are very much alike. There are still a few differences like in the book, there is a rich west side and a poor east side. In the movie, there is a rich south side Soc and a poor north side Greaser. Darry doesn’t treat Pony as bad in the movie as he did in the book . Pony takes the death of Johnny and Dally a little less harder the movie then he did in the book. The movie dosen’t mention Sodapops horse Mickey Mouse. Sodapop and Dally aren’t blonds like they are in the book, instead they are brunettes in the movie. The church that Ponyboy and Johnny run away to isn’t on a hill it is just out there. The movie also never mentions sodapops girl friend. In the book Soda gives Ponyboy money while in the book he didn’t. Also the book was written in Ponyboy’s perspective and the movie was not, the movie was written in everyone’s perspective. In the Movie the Socs were from the South instead of the West. Ponyboy doesn’t smoke as much in the movie as they said so in the book. Ponyboy Curtis in the fourteen-year-old boy that explains the story in both the book and the movie, and also the youngest of the greasers. Ponyboy is ery intelligent compared to the rest of the gang he is most defenatly the smartest to them all. Because his parents have died in a car accident, Ponyboy lives with his two brothers Darry and Sodapop in both the book and movie. Darry repeatedly accuses Ponyboy of lacking common sense in the book more so then in the movie, but Ponyboy is a much brighter then his brother takes him for. Throughout the novel, Ponyboy struggles with class division, violence, innocence, and familial love but in the movie they dont focus on his school as much. He matures over the course of the book and the movie both. Darrel Curtis Ponyboy’s oldest brother. Darrel, known as â€Å"Darry,† both in the book and in the movie. He is a twenty-year-old greaser who is raising Ponyboy because their parents have died in a car crash. Strong, athletic, and intelligent, Darry has quit school in the book and in the movie. He works two jobs to hold the family together. One of the leader of the greasers, he becomes an parent role model for Ponyboy. He also makes good chocolate cake, which he and his brothers eat every day for breakfast in the book but the movie really does not mention it. The other greasers call him â€Å"Superman. † Sodapop Curtis Ponyboy’s fun, intergetic, handsome brother. Sodapop is the middle Curtis boy. Ponyboy admires Sodapop’s good looks and charm. Sodapop is really a great person in both the book and the movie his plans are to marry Sandy , a greaser girl. Two-Bit Mathews The joker of Ponyboy’s group. Two-Bit, whose real name is Keith, is a wise-cracking greaser who regularly shoplift he gets in trouble a lot more in the movie more so then in the book. He loves his sleek black-handled switchblade so much in both the book and the movie. Dallas Winston the toughest hood in Ponyboy’s group of greasers. Dallas, known as â€Å"Dally,† is a big bad teen who used to run with gangs in New York shown both in the book and the movie. He has an elfin face and icy blue eyes and, unlike the others he do not put grease in his white-blond hair. Dally’s violent tendencies make him more dangerous than the other greasers in both the book and the movie, and he takes pride in his criminal record more so in the book then the movie. Sandy is Sodapop’s girlfriend in both the book and the movie. Sandy is pregnant with another boys child and moves to Florida to live with her grandmother in both the book and the movie. Like the other greaser girls, Sandy only is shown in the book and the movie when the boys mention her. Cherry Valance Bob’s girlfriend, she is a Soc cheerleader. When one night Ponyboy meets her at the movies in both the book and the movie. Cherry’s real name is Sheri, but people call her Cherry because of her red hair. Ponyboy and Cherry have so much in common, and Ponyboy feels comfortable talking to her more so mentioned in the book then in the movie. This is why I say the book of the Outsiders is far better then the movie. The movie is missing lots of detail and the book is far more interesting then the movie.

Rather than being a medium for western culture alone, the internet Essay

Rather than being a medium for western culture alone, the internet actually helps promote and strengthen the societies - Essay Example Governance and Democratization Early this year, Egypt and parts of the Arab world experienced one of their most successful revolutions in history. This revolution was organized with the help of the internet and specifically social networking tools. The people of Egypt organized themselves and through proper coordination and communication, they were able to change their country in a manner never witnessed before in any country. This revolutionary event was seen by many as what can be achieved through people power. Without the internet the Egyptian revolution would probably have taken a very different route than it did. The Egyptians were able to push for proper leadership and their democratic rights because the internet empowered them to do so. Another country that has made major gains in the democratization process is China (Lagerkvist, 2010). The country’s leadership is slowly but surely becoming more democratic as citizens become more empowered to fight for their rights usin g information technology tools such as the internet. Through the internet, citizens in a country are able to know how they are being governed. Many governments have adopted the use of the internet in service dissemination. This means that citizens can access the services from the comfort of wherever they are. The internet also empowers the people to communicate more effectively with their leaders. They can give feedback on the kind of services they want and they can use the same technology to demand for changes where they deem fit to do so. In other words, the internet has enabled citizens in different countries keep track of how their governments are doing their work and this helps in the overall development of the nations (Kalathil and Boas, 2003). Learning and Development Education is key to development and this is evidenced by the rate at which countries having high literacy levels have developed. Many nations in Asia, Africa and South America have for a long time been classifie d at the bottom in terms of literacy. However, the situation is slowly changing as more and more people from these countries seek education in different ways. The internet has played a major role in revolutionalizing the learning and development in nations outside the West. Many learning institutions in these countries have incorporated online learning into their programmes (Schell, 2007). This makes learning more effective, thus giving students the kind of education they need to lead productive lives in future. Those seeking higher education do not have to travel long distances to do so. Renowned institutions in the west have high class programmes which they offer online. This makes it easy for individuals in other countries to access the education offered in these institutions from wherever they are. These improved educational opportunities empower societies in non-western countries to develop at the same level as their counterparts living in western nations (Howard and Jones, 200 4). Business and Economic Development Most third world countries have had to struggle with the problem of unemployment for a very long time. Many youths in these parts of the world had been without any meaningful source of income before the internet age. However, things have drastically changed for the better in terms of employment opportunities among the young

Be an Anthropologist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Be an Anthropologist - Essay Example Physical anthropologists concentrate on anatomical and physiological structures of human beings with a major focus on their stages of growth and development. Question 2 Evolution refers to changes in inherited characteristics of biological populations from one generation to the other. The process of evolution leads to diversities in successive levels of biological organizations in species, individual organisms and life molecules such as proteins and Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Existing variations and patterns exhibited by bio diversity are believed to be shaped by gradual processes of speciation and extinction. Charles Darwin formulated a scientific argument for evolutionary theory through natural selection. Natural selection enables the genetic mutations that enhance reproduction to maintain commonality in successive generations of a population. Evolution occurs through changes in heritable characteristics of organisms (Bergstrom & Dugatkin, 2012). Evolution influences all aspects of behavior and forms of organisms such as character traits and physical adaptations through natural selection. Question 3 Physical anthropologists primarily study fossils of earlier organisms. Past species left records of their evolutionary history. Fossils constitute the morphological and anatomical records that physical anthropologists compare to discover lineages of the species. ... Question 4 The physical anthropologist selects resources, including the notebook, guides for identifying fossils and textbooks of paleontology. The second step is collecting of fossils from geologic formation from where the anthropologist can access. The anthropologist should select fossils from known or unquestionable sources since they are reliable. These fossils are considered reliable because the environmental contexts from which they originate from are known (Steckley, 2011). The anthropologist should examine the selected fossils carefully using lenses and take notes. The third step involves using field guides to investigate taxonomic identification and scientific classification of the fossils, including their kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. The anthropologist then labels the sketches using the guides and textbooks. The anthropologist studies the geologic map of the area where the fossil is found in order to determine the formation and geologic period f or the geologic deposit. The anthologist then studies the paleaolecology and paleaoenvironment in which the organism of the fossil lived (Steckley, 2011). The final stage of studying the fossil involves summarizing the fossil’s analysis based on observations and research. Question 5 Source (in-texed above) Question 6 The source above deals with the study of jawbones in identifying the evolutionary processes. The book has presents the process of evolution beginning from four billion years, although only a few photographs of jawbones are available for viewing (Duranti, 2010). The introduction of the book defines physical anthropology within

Multiculturalism Integrated in Physical Education Essay

Multiculturalism Integrated in Physical Education - Essay Example There are many ways a coach can do to enhance multicultural integration in physical education. For instance, through culturally responsive pedagogy. This is a learning method whereby it educates students socially, emotionally and politically by using cultural suggestions that explains about different styles of diversity, knowledge and attitudes of the student. Indeed, it promotes appropriate and successful learning when teachers do use pedagogy that base on the students strengths. Therefore, it acknowledges the legitimacy of the cultural traditions of different groups, hence a worthy way to be taught in schools. Secondly, coaches can use racial identity during teaching. Moreover, this racial identity theory deals with educating students of their racial being and also other students racial being as well as respecting each others race. Through this a teacher may create a multicultural assignments with instructions that each student must select a background outside their own. In conclusion, for the implementation of multicultural education to be successful, educator must have the knowledge of embracing different beliefs, perceptions and also experiences. The coaches must be able to take in hand issues related to the controversy. For instance, issues like racism, religion intolerance ageism and many

Skin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Skin - Essay Example The main cause of psoriasis is not well understood, however, several scholars believe that psoriasis is caused by defects in the immune system, enzymes as well as other factors that regulate skin cell division. One of the processes involves abnormalities in the immune response that leads to inflammation and increased production of immature skin cells. Genes have been associated to have a significant role in the development of psoriasis, in that research has shown that a group of genes called PSORS 1-8 have been involved in psoriasis. Psoriasis commonly manifests on the skin of the elbow, scalp, and intergluteal clefts among other places (Lowes, Bowcock, & Krueger, 2007). As stated earlier, the pathogenesis of psoriasis is not well understood, however, T cells, that appear to be capable of inducing keratinocytes proliferation has been linked to causing psoriasis. This has been supported by several histological examination and immunohistochemical staining of the psoriatic plaques, which have revealed large population of T cells in the lesions. A study has shown that a patient with 20% body surface area affected by psoriasis has a proximately eight billion blood circulating T cells. The increased T cells lead to deregulated inflammatory process with extensive production of various cytokines like tumor necrosis factor- ÃŽ ±, interferon-gamma and interleukin 12. Several clinical features (raised reddish patches, itchiness and small red spots) of psoriasis are explained by the immense production of these chemical mediators. The key findings in the affected part of the skin include vascular engorgement due to dilatation of the superficial blood vessels as well as altered epidermal cell cycle (Coimbra et al., 2012). A microscopic examination of the skin tissue taken from the affected patches is required to make a definite diagnosis of psoriasis from other

Complaint letter (Analysis of a unsatisfactory experience with a Essay

Complaint letter (Analysis of a unsatisfactory experience with a company) - Essay Example As a result of this situation created by your establishment, I was forced to seek for a cheaper accommodation in the nearby town, a situation that led in the delay of the opening of the International Orphan Conference I was supposed to attend. In fact, to state that I was subjected to a psychological and emotional torture accompanied with an outstanding public embarrassment would be an understatement. As it has been the custom, over the years I have had countless satisfying stays in your hotel located in San Francisco, a convenient place for the nature of programs that we hold within and outside the states. Prior booking has also been the most convenient business method between the hotel management and me until the recent event. As you can imagine, the experience went way below my expectations with much consideration of the huge amount of money that I spent in your facilities during the numerous visits. In addition, I have played a huge role in encouraging my friends to use your facilities for conveniences as it was the case before this disappointing incidence. In the light of this, I am not certain if I will ever feel comfortable seeking services from your establishment. As such, I humbly request for a thorough investigation to be conducted involving the accommodation arrangement to establish why I encountered such an embarrassing situation even after I had booked a room and paid for one of the most important events I was to attend. Furthermore, I would recommend that legal and ethical actions should be taken against the culprits to swiftly curb and/or reverse this worrying trend and resolve the grossly appalling issue. To be honest, your response to my concerns will highly determine on the further action I will take. If you have any further clarification or questions, you can contact me via md@kleenchildfoundation.uk .Thank you in advance for your prompt

ISO 9000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ISO 9000 - Essay Example It also checked compliance with standard documented procedures. The 2000 version was a game-changer as it introduced process management in companies. The 2000 version included the involvement of upper executives in quality delivery and improvement of the effectiveness through performance metrics. The 2008 version introduced clarifications to the requirements of the existing 2000 version. The new changes and clarifications aimed at improving consistency with earlier versions. The next version, 2015 version is under preparation. The standard undergoes auditing to improve, correct and prevent problems from arising. The auditing can be external (by an external independent body) or internal (by internal staff trained for the purpose). Auditing involves continuous review and assessment to ensure that the system is working. The 1994 auditing focuses on compliance while the 2000 version includes risks, status and importance Implementing ISO 9000 increases organization effectiveness, profits, promotes trade with other countries and makes marketing better. It also helps retain customers and improve satisfaction. In addition to improving employee motivation ISO 9000, reduces waste and increases company productivity. However, ISO 9000 faces various criticisms. Some criticize it for the large amount of money, paperwork and time needed for registration. Some view the standard as a failure especially if a company seeks certification before quality. Others accuse ISO standards of not gauging whether a company is following the right procedure for

COMAIR Regional Airlines Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

COMAIR Regional Airlines - Case Study Example The regional airline COMAIR, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, which serves routes in the United States, Canada and Europe is poised to become very competitive and profitable in 2010. COMAIR currently has 5,800 dedicated aviation professionals and services 511 daily flights to about 77 international and domestic destinations. The COMAIR is the preferred airline of choice by most business travellers and frequent travellers as it offers affordable airfares. COMAIR has gone from strength to strength by rapidly rolling out international routes and additional services for the customers. Another important cost factor for regional airlines is the national and local taxes imposed by the US government. Most countries treat airlines like cash cows by levying national prerogatives and taxes on them that results in higher costs of doing business. Another positive trend is that inspite of the US recession, the regional airlines do offer the safest form of transportation. Although US airlines carry 3.5 million passengers annually, the accident rate is very low compared to the accident rates of motor vehicles and maritime vessels. Another interesting and positive development is that air travel has improved its safety record over time. New US airline jets have more safeguards and safety measures which help minimize untoward accidents on air and on the ground. Among the interesting market players in the US airlines industry is COMAIR. For instance, COMAIR has been effective in four general areas of operations: 1) winning customers; 2) maintaining its fleet in excellent condition; 3) close relations with its pool of human resources, 4) keeping its finances viable. In general, COMAIR's is able to grow its equity over time (McCabe, 1998)COMAIR has increased international capacity by 15 percent in 2008 to address increasing demand. (International Herald Tribune, June 4, 2008) The company has consistently upgraded its fleet on a yearly basis. As regards its salary expenses, Comair's flight attendants have approved a US$7.9 million dollars in wage cuts intended to help the company recover from its financial difficulties. Fourth, COMAIR has been able to manage its finances well. The company has managed to keep unit revenues up and unit costs down. The airlines fly all their available seats, hence, the company managers try to increase their unit revenues on a quarterly basis. The COMAIR managers understand that most of the airline's costs are fixed. Approximately ten percent of costs go to services such as airport fees and air navigation services fees. Labor costs take up an average of 38 percent in the United States. Hence, the COMAIR managers have focused on decreasing the unit cost to bring down operations cost.In addition, the managers continue to manage near-term liquidity pressures. Cash collateral posting requirements had a material impact on its unrestricted cash positions since 2008. Delta Air Lines, stated on Dec. 2, 2008 that its projected cash collateral posting requirement at Dec. 31, 2008 would be approximately US $1.1 billion dollars.In response to the situation of the parent company, C OMAIR is focused on improvements in free cash flow as the key to liquidity preservation. In addition, the company has scaled-back aircraft financing commitments and has

Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 6

Finance - Essay Example Therefore, for those organizations, the cost of capital can be measured through a weighted average method that can be termed as weighted average cost capital. In specific, the execution of cost of capital is due to figure out the hurdle rate that the companies come across with and are supposed to overcome in order to generate earnings. This method is widely exploited during the process of capital budgeting to identify the risk or favorable scenario for the company to proceed with a concerned project (Droms and Wright, 2010, pp. 31-34). From the financer’s standpoint, the investors are looking for respective profit over the company’s existing securities portfolio, which is used to assess a companys new project, because it is expected return that the investor is anticipated for providing funds, with the lowest rate of return, thereby establishing a benchmark that should be adhered by the new project (Pedell, 2006, pp. 26-31). The main perspective of this assignment is to analyze the cost of capital, which often known as Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) of the chosen organization. The company that has been chosen for the same analysis is Tesco Plc. Tesco Plc is a British based multinational grocery and general merchandise retailer with its headquartering located in England, United Kingdom (UK). Tesco Plc is known as the second largest retailer in the world after the Wall-Mart. The company earned net revenue amounting to  £70.894 billion in the year 2013 with net income amounting to  £124.0 million in the same year. The method which has been used for computing the WACC of the selected company comprises on two different aspects, which are cost of debt and cost of equity. The formula of WACC institutionalized to cumulate cost of debt and cost of equity by applying relevant amount of weights with these elements. The justification of this particular method lies in the fact that this method has the tendency to analyze the cost of capital of the

Letter to Isle of Wight County Press Essay Example for Free

Letter to Isle of Wight County Press Essay As an adolescent and Islander I can fairly say there are few activities for children to partake in, however due to mass demand a skate park has been recently built in one of the parks in Cowes, my local town. Although this new facility is considered to be very good for local children there has been widespread opposition from local residents and council officials, due to the appearance and conduct of a number of children. There are also acute problems with noise for local residents, who complain it goes on all-day and late at night, especially in the school holidays. Whilst Ive neither visited the skate park, nor plan to do so, I have many constructive and supportive arguments for the retention of the facility, but on the other hand, those negative unsupportive opinions. As an adolescent I can see why so many children are enthusiastic about such a provision, generally as there are few such services on the Island. However I do not support the council in such a controversial decision and feel the money could have been spent more wisely. Similarly I can see why there is such harsh opposition from local people. Moreover, I support the idea that skateboarding is another of the child fashions, and is likely to become out of date soon in the future; subsequently the funds spent on such a package, could be another misuse of taxpayers money. Inevitably, drugs are ubiquitous in the park and there have been criticism from the parents of younger children who use the park, this is the most compelling piece of evidence for the closure of the park. Correspondingly, there is a possibility that drugs could become even more prominent in the local town. In conclusion, I think that however much the provision is used the problem of drugs and violence is unacceptable, consequently in my opinion though much fun is enjoyed at the skate park, such things are deplorable and though this may seem harsh, I believe the skate park should be either disbanded or assisted with adult supervision.

The Celts Religion And Society Religion Essay

The Celts Religion And Society Religion Essay The Celts are traditionally ignored in world history textbooks and course, but the Celtic way of life, Celtic institutions, and the Celtic world view were superimposed onto Germanic and classical culture. The later monolithic European culture is greatly influenced by these early peoples. Most of what we know about Celtic life comes from Ireland-the largest and most extensive of the Celtic populations, the Gauls in central and western Europe, we only know about through Roman sources-and these sources are decidedly unfriendly to the Gauls. We know that the early Celtic societies were organized around warfare-this structure would commonly characterize cultures in the process of migration: the Celts, the Huns, and later the Germans. Although classical Greek and Roman writers considered the Celts to be violently insane, warfare was not an organized process of territorial conquest. Among the Celts, warfare seems to have mainly been a sport, focussing on raids and hunting. In Ireland, the institution of the fianna involved young, aristocratic warriors who left the tribal area for a time to conduct raids and to hunt. When the Celts came into contact with the Romans, they changed their manner of warfare to a more organized defense agains a larger army. It was these groups that the classical writers encountered and considered insane. The Celtic method of warfare was to stand in front of the opposing army and scream and beat their spears and swords against their shields. They would then run headlong into the opposing army and s creamed the entire way-this often had the effect of scaring the opposing soldiers who then broke into a run; fighting a fleeing army is relatively easy work. If the opposing army did not break ranks, the Celts would stop short of the army, return to their original position, and start the process over agina. Celtic society was hierarchical and class-based. Tribes were led by kings but political organizations were remarkably plastic. According to both Roman and Irish sources, Celtic society was divided into three groups: a warrior aristocracy, an intellectual class that included druids, poets, and jurists, and everyone else. Society was tribal and kinship-based; ones ethnic identity was largely derived from the larger tribal group, called the tuath (too-awth) in Irish (meaning people) but ultimately based on the smallest kinship organizational unit, the clan, called the cenedl (ke-na-dl), or kindred, in Irish. The clan provided identity and protection-disputes between individuals were always disputes between clans. Since it was the duty of the clan to protect individuals, crimes against an individual would be prosecuted against an entire clan. One of the prominent institutions among the Celts was the blood-feud in which murder or insults against an individual would require the entire clan to violently exact retribution. The blood-feud was in part avoided by the institution of professional mediators. At least an Ireland, a professional class of jurists, called brithem, would mediate disputes and exact reparations on the offending clan. Even though Celtic society centered around a warrior aristocracy, the position of women was fairly high in Celtic society. In the earliest periods, women participated both in warfare and in kingship. While the later Celts would adopt a strict patriarchal model, they still have a memory of women leaders and warriors. Celtic society was based almost entirely on pastoralism and the raising of cattle or sheep; there was some agriculture in the Celtic world, but not much. The importance of cattle and the pastoral life created a unique institution in Celtic, particularly Irish, life: the cattle-raid. The stealing of another groups cattle was often the proving point of a group of young warriors; the greatest surviving Irish myth, the TÃ ¡in BÃ ³ Cualingne, or The Cattle Raid of Cooley, centers around one such mythically-enhanced cattle-raid. There was no urbanization of any kind among the Celts until the advent of Roman rule; in Ireland, urbanization did not occur until the Danish and Norwegian invasions. Society was not based on trade or commerce; what trade took place was largely in the form of barter. Celtic economy was probably based on the economic principle of most tribal economies: reciprocity. In a reciprocal economy, goods and other services are not exchanged for other goods, but they are given by individuals to individuals based on mutual kinship relationships and obligations. (A family economy is typical of a reciprocal economy-parents and children give each other material goods and services not in trade but because they are part of a family). Religion From the nineteenth century onwards, Celtic religion has enjoyed a fascination among modern Europeans and European-derived cultures. In particular, the last few decades have seen a phenomenal growth not only interest in Celtic religion, but in religious practices in part derived from Celtic sources. For all this interest, however, we know next to nothing about Celtic religion and practices. The only sources for Celtic religious practices were written by Romans and Greeks, who considered the Celts little more than animals, and by later Celtic writers in Ireland and Wales who were writing from a Christian perspective. Simply put, although the Celts had a rich and pervasive religious culture, it has been permanently lost to human memory. We can make some general comments about Celtic religion based on the often-hostile accounts of classical writers. The Celts were polytheistic; these gods were ultimately derived from more primitive, Indo-European sources that gave rise to the polytheistic religions of Greece, Persia, and India. The Romans in trying to explain these gods, however, linked them with Roman gods as did the Romanized Gauls-so we really have no idea as to the Celtic character of these gods and their functions. We do know that Celtic gods tended to come in threes; the Celtic logic of divinity almost always centered on triads. This triadic logic no doubt had tremendous significance in the translation of Christianity into northern European cultural models. It is almost certain that the material world of the Celts was suffused with divinity that was both advantageous and harmful. Certain areas were considered more charged with divinity than others, especially pools, lakes and small groves, which were the sites of the cental ritual activities of Celtic life. The Celts were non-urbanized and according to Roman sources, Celtic ritual involved no temples or building structures-Celtic ritual life, then, was centered mainly on the natural environment. Celtic ritual life centered on a special class, called the druides or druids by the Romans, presumably from a Gaulish word. Although much has been written about druids and Celtic ritual practice, we know next to nothing about either. Heres what we can gather. As a special group, the druids performed many of the functions that we would consider priestly functions, including ritual and sacrifice, but they also included functions that we would place under education and law. These rituals and practices were probably kept secret-a tradition common among early Indo-European peoples-which helps to explain why the classical world knows nothing about them. The only thing that the classical sources attest is that the druids performed barbaric or horrid rituals at lakes and groves; there was a fair amount of consensus among the Greeks and Romans that these rituals involved human sacrifice. This may or may not be true; there is some evidence of human sacrifice among the Celts, but it does not se em to have been a prevalent practice. According to Julius Caesar, who gives the longest account of druids, the center of Celtic belief was the passing of souls from one body to another. From an archaeological perspective, it is clear that the Celts believed in an after-life, for material goods are buried with the dead. http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MA/CELTS.HTM