The shift from a republic to a democracy

REPUBLIC:

Authority is derived through the election by the people
of public officials best fitted to represent them.
Attitude toward property is respect for laws and
individual rights, and a sensible economic procedure.
Attitude toward law is the administration of justice in
accord with fixed principles and established evidence,
with a strict regard to consequences.
A greater number of citizens and extent of
territory may be brought within its compass.
Avoids the dangerous extreme of either tyranny or mobocracy.
Results in statesmanship, liberty, reason, justice, contentment and progress.
Is the 'standard form' of government throughout the world.

A Republic is a form of government under a constitution which provides
for the election of (1) an executive and (2) a legislative body who,
working together in representative capacity, have all the power of
appointment, all power of legislation, all power to raise revenue and
appropriate expenditures and are required to create (3) a judiciary to
pass upon the justice and legality of their governmental acts and to
recognize (4) certain inherent unalienable rights.
Take away any one of those four elements and you are drifting into democracy."
U.S. ARMY FIELD TRAINING MANUAL TM2000-5 (1928)

Suit: Firm failed to pay wages

Denver, CO, January 17, 2011— Suit: Firm failed to pay wages
Dec. 02--A lawsuit was filed Thursday in Denver County Court accusing an Attorney Law Firm of failing to pay proper wages to an employee.

The suit filed against Law Office of T.M.Palmer, L.L.C., 7900 E. Union Avenue, asked the court judgment in there favor.

The Law Office of T.M. Palmer, LLC is incorporated in the State of Colorado since May 2010. The registered agent is Tamika Monique Palmer. Ms. Palmer was admitted in Colorado on May 17, 2010. She was also admitted in Florida on October 29, 2009.

Plaintiff, a Paralegal who filed the suit, said she was the only employee at the time of hire.

The suit sought $1,000 for former employee. It does not specify the amount of lost wages.

The suit also names Tamika M. Palmer, company owner, as a defendant.
Tamika M. Palmer, a new attorney licensed with the State of Colorado, said the company has no responsibility to Plaintiff.
“Defendant said that the law firm has fully compensated its entire employee for their work.”

The Law Firm arbitrarily paid employee and did not take notice of employees’ time sheet.

"Most employers in this community understand the rules associated with paying hourly workers for the work they perform," Plaintiff said. "the law firm has not only cheated her but flouted the rules and the law and has knowlingly done so at the expense of an employee.

"I hope the court corrects the situation so Palmer understand that she can’t just arbitrarily pay its employees’ whatever she feels is due without justification."
The suit accuses the company of violating the law wage laws by not properly paying hourly employees, failing to calculate and pay the proper amount of wages and failing to pay hourly employees for working during breaks and meal periods.

According to the complaint:
Plaintiff was an administrative employee from September to October. She worked part-time evenings with Palmer law firm and almost full-time at another law firm. Palmer law firm induced her to quit the other law firm claiming that she will provide better benefits, more flexibility and a less stressful environment.

Plaintiff was three month pregnant at the time. She quit her other employer on September 21, and Palmer law firm almost immediately made unreasonable demands, and wrote up employee for arbitrary issues within a week of officially transitioning to full-time. She then terminated employee the next week. This law firm did not allow employee the time to adjust to the work environment and get up to speed the area of practice. This law firm, also shorted employee for more than 20 hours a week of pay.

The suit sought back pay and damages of $1,000 per plaintiff for each violation of the labor laws.

Judgment was entered against the Law Office of T.M. Palmer, LLC on January 11, 2011 for back pay and court costs of $409.09.

BEWARE OF THIS ATTORNEY!!! SHE HAS NO LEGAL EXPERIENCE.

Marijuana legalization

Recently our state has legalized medical marijuana and there has been an upspring in medical marijuana shops.

My argument is the following: up until now, marijuana research in the US has only been done on animals so from animal testing we know that marijuana use impairs because THC alters how information is processed in the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation. But we don't really know its effect on humans because as a matter of public policy, research on humans has been been denied.
Therefore, I say that our US Congresspeople (the federal government) should allow medical research to be done on human patients now being perscribed marijuana to alleviate pain. And pharmatheticals should be the ones selling the drug.



Links from reputable sites to read on the subject
NIDA
NORML
Drug Science

Is it a flutter in you belly?

I am nearing the close of my 24th week of pregnancy and I have to say that it is pretty cool to feel the baby move. But I also have to say, it doesn't feel like a flutter. I don't feel like I have butterflies in my stomach. When the baby moves, the baby pokes you like a poke on Facebook. It is a poke you feel not a flutter. It was hard to imagine a flutter in the earlier weeks of pregnancy but a poke is a better word for it. You can imagine a poke.

I felt light pokes this week.

Overall, I have had a pretty good pregnancy. Nothing out of the normal. I have carpal tunnerl, acid reflux galore, and even an ear infection that has left me deaf to one ear. I seriously hope all these will soon pass.

From Career to Expecting Mom

Time for an update of this blog. I quit the job as a paralegal a couple month back because I am expecting a baby. The decision wasn't an easy one but it was the right one. I wanted a stress free pregnancy. Being a paralegal, and working for lawyers can be stressful.

So far, I don't regret my decision to quit. I am enjoying pregnancy and the journey before delivery. Up until a couple weeks, I didn't feel pregnant because I was not showing much. I am 23 weeks and 5 days pregnant. Now the belly is really growing. I still don't feel the baby moving but it is moving.

In keeping with the theme of this blog, I am going to talk about the day to day grind of parenting and how one can be successful at being a parent, a mommy, a daddy. Motherhood and fatherhood is a job just like any other job and whether you work outside the home or stay home, you have to juggle and balance life to accomodate your kids. I will talk about my husband and how he juggles fatherhood and career, and I will talk about motherhood and how life has changed for me.

It will be a journey worth taking and full of excitement. Looking forward to it.

Ice Breaker

Recently, my husband and I joined toastmasters. We have to give so many speeches and evaluate so many speeches.

About 2 weeks ago, we were give ice breakers speeches. We are supposed to talk about ourselves. I thought how bad can it be to talk about oneself? It has been a week now, and I can't come up with a single thing to talk about. I keep asking myself, what is interesting about me? What do people want to know about me that is worth sharing. I am boring! =D Course, I kid myself. I am not really boring but thinking about me is difficult!

For starters, I came up with a tagline for myself.
I am dynamic and tenacious!
Marla, a class of it’s own.
Simply Marla.
Every Marla has a story.
Haha! Don't laugh!

Ok... ok... here is my outline.
I was born and raised in Miami, Florida. My immediate family came to the USA in the early 1960s and became refugees. I have 2 brothers: my eldest brother, Maui was a wild one when he was younger, and my youngest brother, Marcos was the cutey one with blond hair and green eyes. I am the middle child. They say the middle child is just that, stuck in the middle, and wondering what part they play in the family. Up until this day, I am still trying to figure that out that part.

My grandparents were a big part of our upbring and childhood, and they helped shape us. They picked us up from school and baby sat us until my mother came to pick us up.

Sometimes, when my Abuelo would come home from work-- My abuelo was a cabnet carpentar and the best there was in Miami. His wood work was precise-- Well... as precise as his expectations of us. He expected us to go to school and do our best to do well. He expected all of us to attend college and graduate with whatever it was we wanted to do. His favorite saying after I would tell him what flavor of career I wanted today, was always, "Si, pero, estudia. No importa que estudes solo que estudies." He sounded like a broken record at times but it stuck in my head so much so that I ended up getting an education.

It took me 10 years to acquire my Bachelor of Arts but got it by golly, I got it! I tried to go for an even higher degree in law but met head on with failure. Nevertheless, I wanted a law degree so much, I turned to lower degree at the undergraduate level and obtained my paralegal certificate. Thus, today I have a paralegal certificate and I am working with a fine lawyer.

Second to studying, my abuelo would stress over and over again how important it was for us to learn Spanish well. He would say, "Aprende el espanol bien y aprende el castellano! Algun dia lo vas a necesitar. He would lecture how Spanish is Spanish and if you learn the castillion, you can speak to all Spanish speakers. Like most young people, I said yea yea yea, I know.

Now I look back on those days, and I think, my abuelo was a sage.
Consequently, I did listen to my abuelo because today I use my Spanish more than ever and my education has elevated my status.

However, if it hadn't been for my dear husband, I would not have completed that education. For, it would have taken me a century to complete. Not only that, but I moved away from home at 21 and little did I know how much I'd struggle. When I moved to Colorado back in 1994, I had no idea how hard it would be to make ends meet on a mere high school education. My initial work experience has taught me the value of a good education and the value of hard work.

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

by Maya Angelou